Guardian Reaper
by Konpeki Rei
Summary: WARNING: OC-MAIN. Eli Cormac Dolan has a few goals in life right now; keep up his job as a bouncer, save up money to help track down his sister, unlock his blocked memories, and avoid drawing too much attention to himself. Kind of hard to do with a strong sense of right and wrong and when he comes to San Francisco for work, only to find himself in a shoddy replica of England.
1. Revolutionary Meeting

Author Notes: First of all, aside from not owning Teen Titans and of course, that this takes place a week after _**Spellbound**_ I still live, just haven't been feeling most of my ideas lately. Not to say that I'm not still working on bringing myself back into A Little Fight With Pit, just had to deal with life that took over. During that time, I came up with a few ideas that seem to have a bit more life than the others. Not to mention, that I honestly wanted to try. That and one hell of a fiction project that I seriously got into and I am still working on. Anywho.

A warning to those who are clicking this, yes, as mentioned in the summary it is OC-centric. Do not simply label it because of it, some rather well-written stories focus on OCs. Not all of course, I hope this one can be numbered amongst the well-written ones, but we shall see.

A little statement before the spoiler warning; Eli is a paranormal human. What does that mean? Simply put, science cannot quite explain all of his abilities in detail and they aren't magic born or based either. The reason he can do what he can do will be explained over the course of the story, and no, we're not talking Danny Phantom here. Danny is Danny and Eli is Eli. That and I really don't give a flying whoop about ecto-blasts. Yeah, don't expect Eli to pulling them out anytime, I've got plans for my character.

With that, I bring an end to this long Author Note, and welcome you to enjoy my latest idea.

This has been beta-read and approved by my wonderful beta and good friend, n00dl3gal. Give her a round of applause everybody, and be sure to check out her work when you get the chance!

On with the show!

**Guardian Reaper  
**

**Chapter 1: Revolutionary Meeting**

* * * TT * * *

_**Downtown, San Francisco**_

A single young man walked straight through downtown, eyes fixed on the sidewalk ahead. The youth wore a single pair of black jeans, standing out from the normal through the silver stitching in it. And two pockets stationed below the normal ones, with eight occupied belt loops on each pant leg, with a single Celtic Knot embossed belt going through each set for a total of five belts. Including the normal one around his waist.

A single black leather jacket with Celtic Cross on the back in silver was worn over a dark green shirt, the Celtic Triquetra in silver on the front. Two black gloves could be made out on each hand, going up and under to the middle of the arm in the form of long sleeves with a single silver Triquetra on the back of each one. The final two things he wore were a pair of black combat boots with steel toes and heels, along with a black pendant bearing a silver Celtic Triquetra in the middle.

The dark clothes didn't stand out that much, only the young man's fair skin that looked a bit more white than a normal person. But beyond that, no one so much as looked over at him. In fact, no one did, much to his confusion.

"Okay, what's going on here?" he questioned, turning to see a few people staring dumbly. The teen quickly traced their gazes to find hypnotic swirls on every single electronic sign and billboard available, even several computer screens as well. "The fu-"

"I'm reclaiming this city in the name of jolly old England!" The teen quickly concentrated and both eyes flickered with ectoplasm. Instead of staring at the screens, he whipped around to find a single one bearing an aged man with mutton chops, balding, and blue glasses smirking down at everyone. "And you lot best bow down to your new ruler, King Moddie the First!"

"King? The hell I will," the teen stated, only to turn and find everyone else in the city actually following the mad-man's orders. He quickly frowned and pulled back into an alleyway, making sure no one was looking. "America would have super-villains, damn it."

He ignored Mad Mod's reprogramming of the rest of the people as he concentrated on the ectoplasm in his body. The teen's body quickly began fading out of sight until he completely disappeared from sight, not even leaving a trace of footprints.

Yet he was still there as he floated right off the ground and then shot out of the alleyway. The teen scanned the area, finding freakish black and white London buildings popping up in place of normal ones. A quick look up at the sky revealed the London Jack actually overhead, causing the teen to scowl and shake his head furiously. He didn't waste any time shooting up into the sky only to notice a single lone building on an island.

_"... What the hell is that? No, no time for that, and I can't do this wearing my street clothes," _he told himself, his voice sounding distorted yet not at all disturbing anyone below. _"Might as well treat this like a job, I'd be a jerk if I didn't do something about this."_

He quickly flew over to the large T without breaking a sweat and set down on the roof quietly. Looking around, he made sure no one was present before phasing back into existence and lightly dropping on the surface of the roof. The teen didn't even flinch as he began removing his clothes and quickly opening the duffel bag and pulled out a fresh set of clothes. As soon as he was dressed again, he slipped his normal clothes inside, zipped up the bag and stashed it on the roof before fading out of sight again and flying off.

_"Go to America Eli, they pay a lot more for bouncers than the pubs will! If I find Fitzpatrick, I'll deck him!" _he cursed, shooting through the air and scanning the ground for any sign of normalcy. Sadly there was nothing but black and white buildings, all of them in old Victorian London style, much to his disgust. _"I should have stayed back in Dublin..."_

The rest of his words were cut off by a sudden crash and what sounded like some kind of explosion. Eli quickly flipped and shot straight to the ground, coming to a quick halt in front of the smoke cloud and silently hovered.

Once the smoke settled, four figures made their way out of the subway no worse for the wear, not even aware of Eli staring at them and studying them. He quickly focused on each individual, sizing them up out of habit as a bouncer as well as their possible threat level if at all.

The first was a worried semi-tall girl with bright orange skin and strangely bright red hair. Though what stuck out to Eli was her green irises **AND **sclera as well. A trait that was definitely not normal or human and she wore a modest skirt as far as clubbing girls went along with long purple boots reaching up to her thighs and a purple tank top. Strangely, all of the clothes she wore had gray trim to them including a collar on her neck and gray sleeves covering up to the middle of her hand with green gemstones over the back. Definitely nothing about her seemed normal, especially her strange speech in his opinion.

Beside her was a tall African American, only he looked like something straight out of science fiction. More than half of his body seemed to be covered in metal like a suit of robotic armor, only it was actually part of him. Blue and white circuits could be made out on his thighs, shoulders, half of his head, and his arms, with dark skin only for his face and part of his upper arms. A single red cybernetic eye was scanning the area, mismatched with his normal eye though thankfully he didn't seem to notice Eli despite the capabilities of the eye. Out of the group, he seemed to be the tallest and most intimidating as far as physical looks were concerned.

Eli mentally noted to avoid startling the tall teen who looked like he could bench press a bus and moved onto the smallest of the group. And did a prompt double-take as the young boy was completely green all over, including his eyes though not his sclera. Including his hair strangely enough, and pointed ears that made him look like a Vulcan from _Star Trek_. Unlike the others, his suit was dark purple in the middle in a sort of column until it reach mid-thigh, with black on each side and going down to his purple boots. He had on a gray belt of some sort around his waist with gray gloves, and seemed to have the simplest outfit of all.

Eli cocked an eyebrow, wondering what the boy's deal with before turning to the final member of the strange quartet. A girl that was floating a solid three feet off the ground. Actually floating, much like he was. Slowly, carefully, Eli floated to a better position without getting too close and looked the girl over slowly.

First thing he noticed was her ash gray skin, but also the dark amethyst eyes that were scanning the area. He could make out some of her face, and what he did see drew his curiosity and interest in as he could see a slender oval-shaped face and a simple petite shadow of a chin. Her lips were dark gray and matched her skin, much to Eli's surprise. The teen looked over her only to find a dark blue cloak covering her entire body with a single ruby baring golden brooch to fasten the two parts together, strangely with a black shadow on it of some sort.

She had a hood up, casting a shadow over her face down to the bridge of her nose, keeping the rest of her features hidden. The only thing Eli could make out was that the girl had a small frame judging by the way her cloak hung off her shoulders, and a pair of dark blue boots. They were traditional, reminding him of some old pictures of boots in Irish paintings. And lastly, the fact that she stood at least two to three inches below himself.

All four seemed to be just as disturbed if not more upset than he was about finding the city horribly butchered into a disgusting replica of England. A bad one at that, as Eli silently descended until his incorporeal body was practically standing on the ground. Taking a moment to judge them, he slowly took a step back and exhaled.

_"Do I show myself or not..." _he murmured to himself, debating about it as one of them mentioned Mad Mod but not in a pleasant way.

Anything else he was thinking of doing went out the window at the sound of heavy marching, military marching. Everyone including the incorporeal Eli looked to see two large mechanical soldiers, dressed just like the British Royal Guard, including large rifles and arms as well.

Both of their chests opened up to reveal swirling hypnosis-screens, forcing the teens to quickly cover their eyes. Except for Eli, who merely smirked and noted the lack of effect the hypnosis had on him while incorporeal. "Hit 'em hard and hit 'em fast, and whatever you do, don't look at the hypno-screens!" warned the tall teen, only for their short friend to immediately become hypnotized and actually started drooling.

_"Now that's an idea," _Eli stated, shooting forward in a burst of speed. He ignored the chests closing as the robots readied their guns, and merely passed right through them without so much as flinch. On the turn of a dime, Eli pulled around, phasing back into sight as he excited the ectoplasm within his fists. "Hey tin-cans!"

The two robots actually stopped at the sound of his voice. Neither one had much time to turn around as Eli slammed both palms into their backs. Black electricity burst forward breaking through steel hide and jumping right into the circuits, overloading them in the process. Within only a few seconds, the two robots exploded violently away from Eli, sending burning debris and wreckage across the street. All four teens stared in surprise as the green boy snapped out of his trance, and immediately gawked at Eli.

The teen was wearing a new ensemble designed for intimidation, especially to any true son and daughter of Ireland. A jet black leather vest bearing a single black hood that was currently pulled up with silver eyes sewn into the top like a wolf's. The back bore a large silver hound on the back, snarling at anyone looking at it. Long black sleeves came out from underneath the vest down to the black gloves baring silver claw like studs over the knuckles with silver wolf arms on each sleeve. Both pant-legs had silver wolf-leg designs on the sides with a silver long belt hanging out from the back like an actual tail.

His pants were black like a pair of dark denim jeans with silver plated belts at the bottom like his normal pants. The buckle itself had a wolf's head, with the final piece being his silver-toed boots and heels that were detailed like wolf claws. In all, Eli cut an intimidating figure with his dark blue eyes and the silver fingers of his gloves, as well as black sparks dancing over the conductive metal of his knuckles.

"Bloody hell, who called in the werewolf-" the green teen stopped as Eli raised a single jet black eyebrow before the boy suddenly screamed. "Oh dear, I'm a limey, a Tommy, a Brit!"

"You're an idiot, not a Brit. I doubt that there are only two of these robots around," Eli stated, his natural Dublin accent coming out in irritation. A fact that did not go unnoticed as the green boy blinked and frown in a bit of annoyance.

"Oh great, a bloody Mick," the British-speaking green boy stated, causing Eli to immediately narrow both eyes and step forward. Only at the same time, black electricity was crackling down his shoulders to his fists. "Uh-"

"And proud of it, so unless you want to be dropped like the fucknut you're acting like, shut your trap!" Eli growled, going into his full Dublin accent, seething as the green boy quickly bolted behind his friend. Though neither the large teen or the two girls were seemingly interested in shielding the green boy as Eli straightened up, drawing the electricity back into his body. "Don't piss off a proud Irishmen."

"Noted," the Gothic girl stated, causing Eli to turn his gaze onto her. For a moment she could feel respect radiating from his emotions, covering the lingering flickers of irritation and annoyance at Beast Boy's little British prejudice moment. "We need to move."  
"That would be most wise right now, look!" the orange-skinned girl pointed out, causing the entire group to turn only to see an entire squad marching into the street. Each one armed with a laser rifle and worse, just as big as the first two that Eli destroyed.

"Run away!" Beast Boy shouted, not even noticing Eli actually phasing right out of sight.

Raven did, and her eyes widened at the strange ability before she quickly levitated straight through the air, moving as fast as possible. The robots continued, unaware of the incorporeal Eli studying them, actually phasing right into their chests to at least glimpse their insides. As soon as he got a good enough look, he shot right after the group, moving at speeds far beyond all but the best supersonic jets.

* * * TT * * *

Cyborg peered down at the water as the torch light moved away and exhaled softly before turning to the rest of the group. A quick slap from Raven knocked Beast Boy out of the hypnotic programming, much to a little of their combined relief. Yet the mechanical teen and second in command of the Teen Titans couldn't help but wonder a few things. _'Who the hell was that guy? He's Irish but there's nothing about any Irish superheroes, especially in their teens that I know of,' _he thought, rubbing his chin for a moment before sighing.

"Where did our new friend go to?" Starfire asked, looking around in confusion. "Did he get captured?"

"He scares me," blurted Beast Boy, recalling the way he was glared down and worse, the black electricity that crackled around his fists. And the fact that he took down the two robots without even flinching and before they could was hard to ignore. "And who was that guy?"

"He disappeared when we were being chased," announced Raven, causing her teammates to look at her in surprise. She exhaled for a moment and looked at Cyborg, their technical leader now. "I noticed it because I could barely sense him at the time."

Eli cocked an eyebrow before leaning over Raven's shoulder. _"I didn't think anyone could actually sense me when I'm incorporeal," _he said aloud, unaware of Raven's eyes widening as she stiffened, feeling the traces of curiosity and intrigue behind her.

"Now that you mention it, I can't even pick up a heart beat... and I doubt B here can smell him if he's gone," Cyborg grumbled, frowning. They frankly could use the help being down one Titan, their strongest one as far as intelligence and cunning went and more importantly, experience leading. "Damn, we need to beat those tin cans, Mad Mod, and then get back Robin!"

"No, we must first find Robin and then restore his youth to him!" Starfire suggested, causing Eli to raise an eyebrow for a moment before groaning to himself. Robin's name did ring a bell; the Boy Wonder and only known pupil and apprentice of the Dark Knight himself, Batman.

"No way, what we need to do is go underground-"

"Wait," Raven growled, frowning for a moment and slowly looked around. She could dimly sense the strange emotions behind her, now of realization and confusion before managing to turn around completely.

Cyborg blinked and cocked his only actual eyebrow. "Something wrong Rae?" he questioned, noticing how confused and uneasy his friend looked. As the big brother figure of the Teen Titans, it was his job to know when something was disturbing or unsettling any of his friends. "What are you looking for?"

"Not what, who. I believe that we are not alone," she stated, taking a moment to exhale and unknowingly turned to look straight through Eli's eyes. The teen actually stared back before quietly floating back and set himself upright above the water. "I know someone is there. Show yourself."

"Uh, Raven?" Beast Boy whispered, looking around in confusion. "Who are you talking to?"

"Could it be our new friend who came to our unexpected aid?" questioned Starfire and Eli did a double-take at the girl's surprisingly astute observation. And yet she seemed to have such an innocent yet fluent level of English. "Please new friend, is it you?"

_"If you are all fighting this Mad Mod guy, I'm guessing you__'__re the superheroes," _Eli stated, willing himself back into the physical realm, surprising all but Raven with his sudden appearance. Though now Eli could see the girl's face as her hood was pulled back and her cloak parted. "Bit early to call me a friend, but if you four are planning on getting this place back to normal, I'm in."

Raven tried her hardest not to stare, but it was difficult as Eli had actually managed to surprise her with his presence. There were numerous questions going through her head, the foremost being _'what in the name of Azar are you?' _she wondered, barely making out his Irish accent now that he seemed to be calmer than before. At least enough that she could silently read his anticipation.

"Whoa, how'd you do that?" Beast Boy blurted, staring in surprise before gulping nervously. "Um, sorry about the whole Irish thing..."

"Don't do it again and we'll be sound, otherwise I'll drop you," Eli stated, slipping a hand up to his hood and gripped it tightly. Beast Boy quickly gave a furious nod before backing up while Raven merely raised an eyebrow at the slight drop in Eli's accent. "So, who are you four?" he asked, slipping his gaze right onto Raven.

"I'm Cyborg, he's Beast Boy, she's Starfire, and that's Raven," Cyborg listed off, watching as Eli looked over each of them before giving a solid nod. The tall teen could already tell that Eli could fight, and that came from just college experience. "Who are you anyway?"

"And how were you able to disappear like that, new friend?" added Starfire. The energetic girl was already fascinated by someone who seemingly had a power none of them were capable of.

Eli took a moment to quickly look over Raven's revealed figure. Her body was curvy to make up for the lack of height, just enough to put her at a different build than Starfire. More compact in Eli's opinion, and frankly she qualified as more of a young woman he figured given her curvy legs and rather attractive form. Didn't hurt that she seemed to be pretty intelligent and spiritual, given his own abilities being more paranormal in nature and otherworldly.

She actually had her hair in a page-boy style cut with a red gemstone on her forehead. Raven also wore a black leotard that left only her chest to the imagination, a size-able firm B-cup, with her leotard hugging her curves and skin like a second layer. Eli quickly shifted his gaze to her hands, noting the blue cuffs on her wrists and the way her black leotard was mounted to the gloves via a smaller version of her broach. There was even a belt of similar style in a sort of linked broach manner at an angle on her waist with two small tassels hanging down at her side. And both legs uncovered from the hip down, with her leotard snuggly hanging onto her crotch but well enough to keep it covered modestly.

_'No wonder she wears a cloak, doesn't look to proper to any adult but doesn't get in the way of kicks or movement,' _he thought, silently approving of the somewhat revealing but functional uniform. Eli didn't miss the slight flicker of surprise in Raven's eyes, though he had no idea that it was because she could actually read his mood; approval was something she didn't catch very often and a little bit of interest in her didn't hurt either.

"Wisp," Eli explained, slipping both hands into a vest pocket each. It was safer since frankly he couldn't give out his real name or his bouncer name either. "Just call me Wisp. And it's one of my abilities, makes sneaking around a lot easier," he added, shrugging his shoulders as Cyborg gave an understanding nod and Raven quietly studied his apparel. "Mind filling me in on what I missed? I just got in town and I'm already wishing I was back in Ireland."

Cyborg quickly explained the entire situation and then watched Eli whisper to himself a few times. The teen finally looked up, hood still pulled up for identity's sake though Cyborg was already holding back from taking a few pictures with his cybernetic eye. He was no Robin, he was willing to take help where they could get it and not ask questions when they were in serious trouble like they were now.

Eli rubbed his chin before mulling over the situation. "All right, so, now you're just trying to decide how to overthrow Mad Mod," he concluded, and then took a moment to shake his head. "Too many to take head on and thinking of this place as just one big club, he's got cameras around to look for us. Probably not here though, otherwise he'd give you the bum rush," Cyborg blinked before face-palming, inwardly griping at himself. "Every good bouncer knows you don't try to take on a mob. Best way to get beat down," he added.

"Uh, but this isn't a club," Beast Boy nervously pointed out, whimpering when Eli turned his hooded gaze right onto him. "Just saying..."

"Doesn't mean he's wrong. It's like trying to play football with only your offense and no defense," defended Cyborg, looking to Eli and giving his fellow teen a nod which was gratefully returned. It didn't hurt that when given the straight and simple facts, Cyborg could see how Eli was looking at the situation. "We do need to get Robin though, and get his youth back."

"Agreed. But we would need to sneak up on Mad Mod, ambush him." Raven looked to Eli to find the teen cocking an eyebrow before giving a small nod of acknowledgment. She kept her senses limited to avoid just reading his mood, even though she could tell he wasn't about to actually vote for her plan. "Could you do it, with your ability?"

"I can do it half-way, I haven't met a wall I can't go through but..." Eli paused and sighed for a moment. He frankly didn't want to admit the one problem with his ability, but it wasn't like he was giving them all of his weaknesses. "I can't touch anyone until I'm tangible. I know how it works a little; something inside of me allows me to turn incorporeal but only me," he held up a hand before Beast Boy could speak. "Not intangible, incorporeal. No manner of electronics can pick me up; hell, Raven here is the first person to actually detect me while I'm incorporeal- anyway, sneaking is fine, but then we'll have to fight."

"Then, what should we do? Mad Mod is attempting to rewrite history." the young man turned to Starfire, watching her for a moment. "We must stop him, and we need a plan."

"She's right, we have to try something, and hope it works," Cyborg added, looking to Eli before glancing at Raven who gave a small nod and then to Beast Boy who scratched his head. _'Though we can't do that without a leader, can we?' _he wondered.

Raven paused for a moment before looking to Eli. _'Until he's tangible and until then only I can detect him,' _she thought, looking to the others. An idea was already forming in her mind, only it was taking pieces of each plan to cover the flaws of the others and make one enormous grand design of a plan, a stratagem in fact. One that could work but with Eli helping them, there was a faster way to go about it. Especially as Mad Mod had no idea that Eli even existed for that matter.

"Wisp, how long can you hold your incorporeal state?" Raven asked suddenly, causing Eli to turn around and face her, only she had a small smirk on her lips. One that frankly he saw only in the few spunky young women in Dublin that could not only out-think a man but frankly he respected as fellow bouncers.

"On record, I can keep it up while sleeping if I have to," Eli replied, raising an eyebrow. A mirror of a smirk formed upon Eli's lips, as well as a flash of honest interest in the dark sorceress and her idea. "Got something in mind, fhiaigh?" he asked, actually sending a small chill down Raven's spine.

"I do."

* * * TT * * *

Mad Mod sighed with absolute pride and joy. Surprisingly, the Titans hadn't tried anything without Robin around, and he was enjoying the victory as his robots marched in front of him, backed up by tanks. He was currently in a simple little dirigible stand, feeling as young as ever and wearing a gaudy red version of the king's old uniform. Everything was going right as he turned to Robin with a smirk, the aged Titan leader glaring up at him.

"Too bad about your-"

He was interrupted as several hypnotic screens exploded via Raven's trademark telekinesis, stumbling forward and staring in disbelief. As Mod turned around to give orders to his troops, Robin saw Eli phase right back into sight, a single finger held up to his lips. The boy wonder blinked but his sharp mind quickly realized that Eli had to be on his side as he phased back out of sight.

It was bittersweet to watch as the dirigible was killed and Mad Mod quickly snarled as his hypnotized subjects left in a hurry. And with good reason as the remaining Titans were standing before his troops.

"All right, destroy them!" he ordered, missing Eli flickering back into sight briefly with an absolute pissed off look in his eyes. The two had to wait in silence as their friends put up an excellent fight, but one by one they were defeated.

Raven and Starfire seemed to take the hardest hits and were soon captured by Mad Mod's robots. Even Beast Boy was captured, knocked out before he could turn into a spider monkey to land on Mad Mod's face. Instead, they seemed to be all unconscious with Mad Mod smiling in absolute glee at his seemingly flawless victory.

"What a surprise, my duckies, you're little plan didn't work," he laughed, shaking his head as he strode up to the group, unaware of Eli hovering right after him. In fact, the teen was slowly moving into position carefully, right in front of Mad Mod. "You lot should have realized it, those who fail to learn from their past are doomed to repeat it. And you lot are as doomed as ever! Couldn't think your way out of a paper bag without the old bean Robin eh?"

"Actually, we know that," Raven stated, smirking as she slowly opened her eyes as Eli quickly chambered his leg, concentrating on the series of blows he was to deliver. She could dimly sense his alert emotions, specifically, the tension in his body. "You should have paid more attention earlier."

"And why is that, love?" Mod asked, rolling his eyes and calmly polished his cane.

Raven simply continued to smirk, inhaling deeply and prepared herself. "Robin is looking rather happy right now," she stated calmly, causing Mod to blink and quickly turned around in confusion. Yet there before him was Robin, smirking in victory as Eli phased right back into existence, leg chambered like a bullet in a pistol. "Wisp."

"Hey fucknut, over here," Eli whispered, causing Mad Mod to whip around in surprise only to see a flash of silver. In one kick, Eli actually broke Mod's nose while the second quickly chambered kick blasted the wind out of his body, followed b a single sharp kick to the cane, sending it right into the air.

Cyborg's detached arm quickly followed, snatching the cane up as Mod tried to gasp for air while Eli phased right out of sight. The British villain looked up only to find, much to his horror, Robin holding the cane with his thumb positioned right over the crystal switch. Worse yet, there was far too much distance to cover, and Eli was already back in the physical world, ready to drop him with a single vicious axe-kick.

"Now old bean, let's not do anything hasty..." Mod trailed off in horror as Robin smirked and activated the cane, causing red energy to pour out of the crystal. In a flurry of light and unknown energies, life force shot out of Mad Mod straight back into Robin, returning them to their true ages. "No!"

Robin eagerly broke the cane clean in half, forcing all of the changes Mad Mod did to the city to be reversed, including the hologram setup over the sky. Even the robots shutdown, leaving Eli to pull back with a nod to Raven before smiling at her like a Cheshire Wolf.

"See you around fhiaigh," Eli chuckled, phasing right out of their known existence and shooting off straight towards the tower like a rocket. _"At least this place will be fun to be in," _he laughed, head shaking to and fro in disbelief.

He didn't realize that Raven was sensing his happiness and joy at doing a bit of good, or the curious glint in her eyes. _'What does fhiaigh mean?' _she wondered, turning to find Robin already slapping cuffs on Mad Mod.

* * * TT * * *

_**Downtown, San Francisco**_

Eli finished drying himself off before glancing at the muted TV, namely at the headliner of Mad Mod being put back into jail. The teen smirked for a moment before softly whistling an Irish tune to himself as his cell phone rang. Quickly he flicked it opened and slipped it up to his ear after pressing the answer key.

"This is Setanta speaking, who's calling?" he asked, raising an eyebrow after turning off the TV.

_"I wasn't sure this was the right number, but I need a bouncer... you don't mind it's a teen night club, do you?" _the voice asked, sounding a bit nervous and around their middle age if Eli's guess was on the money. _"This is Setanta, right?"_

"Yes, what hours do you need me to work?" Eli questioned, opening his closet to glance at his bouncer's uniform.


	2. Hindsight Past

**AN:** Hello again all, I apologize for the wait on this. Had to go back and redo this chapter for technical reasons. Namely, not quite as interesting as I wanted and focused a bit too much on unnecessary information. Namely, being a bouncer. Yeah, not the most interesting of things to write about unless your name is Patrick Swayze and the movie is Roadhouse.

*crickets*

And that was my obscure reference for the year. HA! Anywho, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, it's a little shorter than the previous one but well worth it. Decided to add a bit of drama and the third chapter is already in the beta-editting stages and what not. Once more, I do not own the Teen Titans franchise obviously. Just this little idea of course and my character Eli and his related abilities as far as ideas go. Expect some drama in upcoming chapters and questions and plot!

Thank you to my wonderful beta n00dl3gal and Yami Mizuna for the reviews! It's always appreciated to know people look forward to a story! And yes, once more this has been betaed by my wonderful beta-reader, please take the time to check out her work when you can. And now, on with the story!

**Chapter 2: Hindsight Past**

*** * * TT * * * **

_**Downtown San Francisco**_

An alarm-clock blared and was quickly silenced by Eli's hand coming down on it. The teen grimaced before turning completely incorporeal and floated out from under his covers. There wasn't any real thought behind his morning tasks, but all of the excitement and energy he built up the day before had died out. Worse yet the dreaded and painful fact of hindsight came back into play, smashing his face hard.

"Sooner or later I'm going to bump into them again, and it'll be on the clock," Eli stated flatly, slipping out of his bedroom onto the fire-escape outside.

With an almost practiced ease, the Irish teen pulled over the bar side-rail while twisting and locked both legs over the hand-bar. A grunt escaped Eli's lips before the teen started to performs crunches, focusing solely on the workout. At the same time, his mind went to the events of the day before, and the way he had showed up as "Wisp."

"The last thing I really need is everyone knowing I'm not normal," he whispered, grunting with each repetition. _'And I have to face it. That needs to be a one time thing, I can't work in a nuthouse city. Not like I even watched the news outside of Dublin,'_Eli chastised himself once more before pulling back and grasped the bottom of the rail and swung down.

A child across the way watched in absolute fascination as Eli started performing chins-up. He didn't even seem to care that the only thing he wore was a white-undershirt and boxers. All that mattered was the feeling of his muscles burning, and the substance that was ever-present within.

"And I need some wheels too," Eli paused for a moment and quietly turned. The young boy, barely out of the toddler stage, was still staring at him while Eli just blinked and gave a small wave. "Got to find a gym too... damn, my hindsight is feckin' evil."

The boy scampered out of view while Eli resumed the work-out and went back into his apartment. Within minutes after a shower, he was out of the apartment in fresh clothes and directions to a morning joint. All the while cursing himself for his shortsightedness and impatient weakness.

*** * * TT * * * **

Eli sighed contently, completely full from the brief visit to a Denny's and popped his neck. "All right, let's see..." He mused, glancing around before grimacing at the early morning traffic. And the sidewalk wasn't any better, much to Eli's displeasure.

_'Great, and I still don't know how that wain sensed me. No one's ever noticed me before either.' _The teen quickly noticed a cab driving towards him and waved it over, only to see it zip by. He paused and shook his head before looking about and waved to a second one, this time managing to get it to pull over.

The driver rolled down the window, revealing himself to have a thick but short black beard and wearing a small black hat. "Where do you need to be this morning?" he asked politely.

"A small mall if there's one around, and a motorcycle shop." The driver blinked and turned his head to give Eli a bit of a surprised look. And immediately followed it with a small nod, turning the car into the street. "Kind of need to do a bit more than that too."

"Jump City is the closest mall, though I don't know about a motorcycle shop." Eli nodded and quietly leaned back, glancing at the back of the driver's window to notice the ID. "My name is David, and you are?"

"Eli Dolan, nice to meet you." David gave a quick nod and a small smile before resuming his driving. "Hey, how far is a market or a grocery store from the mall?" Eli added, already thinking about how much of his current money he was going to be spending.

"About a few miles though you sound like you have a lot to do today." The teen took a moment to sigh and slowly nodded.

_ 'All because I didn't think ahead enough. Again__.__'_he pushed the thought out of his head and leaned forward. "Just got into town, and already wishing I thought it through a bit more," Eli reluctantly admitted. It wasn't something he took pleasure in stating, and it wasn't just the matter of his little on the whim superhero stint.

There was more to it then that; Eli had come from Ireland's capital of all places, with one thing in mind; finding a better paying job as a bouncer. He loved his heritage and culture, but frankly two years of being the youngest bouncer in Dublin got annoying. Especially since he had to take a bit of pay cut for insurance purposes, and it wasn't easy to get a job early in life. Not to mention that he was on a strict budget, with half of his paycheck always going to savings.

Eli had few options really; Metropolis, New York, San Francisco, and Gotham. Metropolis had potential, but the fact that Superman called the city home and there was the Daily Planet as well pushed Eli away from it. He had no desire to ever get into a misunderstanding with the Man of Steel, let alone get found out. New York would have been fine, but it was also far too predictable for an Irishmen to head there. Not to mention the Green Lanterns were there, and members of the Justice League to boot.

Gotham would have been his second choice compared to New York, as just working there required nerves of steel but also one hell of a paycheck. The problem was that the place had the most dangerous supervillians alive, including the Joker. And even Eli had no intention on testing his luck, incorporeal power or not. The last option with the best chances for at least building up a reputation as a bouncer was San Francisco.

_'And not like I didn't look for superheroes, I just didn't think I'd find any here,' _he added as an afterthought. It was still better than the other three choices, namely as the Teen Titans were as their name suggested. Teens. Less likely to follow the ways of the adult superheroes, but also more likely to be at dance clubs. Ones that he would probably work eventually.

"You sound a bit worried because of what happened yesterday here," David easily pointed out.

"Pretty much, kind of the a first time for me," Eli admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I understand, but it is fortunate that they are led by Robin. I doubt he would want to see this city like Gotham, always on the edge of destruction I fear." The teen grimaced at the mention of the city before pausing and gulping.

_'Right, he's the Boy Wonder, apprentice of Batman or something like that. Great, if he's even half as good as Batman, I'll be found out on the spot if he sees me,' _he grimaced once more. Hindsight was starting to become his most hated fact of life. Eli quickly shook his mind out of such thoughts, and focused more on his driver. And the information he had to give.

"When you put it like that, I don't see how anyone can complain. Can you tell me some more about them?" Eli asked, and David paused before giving a kind nod.

"Of course, it will take some time to get through this traffic." The young man let out a slow sigh of relief, and made a mental note to be more than grateful with his driver's fare.

* * * TT * * *

_**Jump City Mall, San Francisco**_

Eli didn't bat an eye as he walked into the mall, only to stop in his tracks and stare. The entire place looked bigger than every single pub and bar he worked in and that was the brutal honest truth. Not even his apartment complex made Eli feel so small, and it took him several minutes to come to terms with reality.

"If this is a mall, I'd hate to see their grocery stores," he said to no one before stuffing each jacket pocket with a hand and started looking around.

A large sign bearing the mall was quickly located, and Eli found himself already following what he assumed was the right direction. Everywhere Eli looked there was just more signs of being in the United States; small Kiosks with various things for sales ranging from cell phones to sunglasses to even toys. He even saw several shops dedicated to this or that, ranging from a shop based around sweets to a sport-equipment shop.

"... Next thing you know, I'll be seeing a shop that sells body armor," Though there was no joking tone in Eli's voice, he quickly turned only to twitch.

It wasn't that he found himself at something completely disturbing. Far from it, the store sold clothes all right. Only, the name read _**Eve's Boutique **_and was completely fine. For any American girl who was far too peppy and needed to be sedated with tranquilizers and had an addiction to unicorns and far too much fantasy.

"Feckin' hell," Eli spat out, ignoring a few glares and eyebrows and gasps shot his direction.

He quietly began to turn, about to try and look around when two colors caught his attention; orange and ash gray. And experience told Eli to never ignore anything that caught his attention; pulling himself around, the teen scanned the store carefully and found himself staring at two familiar girls. Two of the very five teens that he was hoping to avoid, one of them currently floating a good solid foot off the ground while looking at clothes with the other appearing to glare at everything that was bright and cheery around her.

_'Oh Nora Batty, what the feckin' hell are they doing here? I thought superheroes had some base they waited at until criminals showed up!' _he cursed inwardly, turning around slowly to avoid making a scene. Yet, it didn't stop Raven from turning and glancing at him, eyes wide at the sheer intensity of the emotional spike that actually caught her attention.

_'That was stronger than anything I've ever sensed. Who was that?' _She wondered, glancing at Starfire who was examining a bright pink shirt. And to Raven's disgust, one that bore yellow stars on it.

"Oh Raven, does this not look amusing?" the innocent alien asked, causing the sorceress to grimace.

"Not really." Raven quickly ignored her friend's pout in favor of looking around, trying to spot anyone that could have possibly produced such a spike.

Never before had she sensed such strong emotions and nearly heard actual thoughts with them. A rarity, as telepathy was a power not available to her, and only when she entered another's mind could she even come close to mind-reading. So it was more than just curiosity but also a slight hint of fear that fueled her search. _'_

_ 'That could not have been an intentional outburst. Someone is surprised, obviously from something or someone they have seen.' _she deduced, quickly honing in on the only figure that seemed to be moving away from the vicinity. A teen with short black hair, two feather like strands of hair tucked behind his ears and wearing a mostly black ensemble.

What drew her attention however was the way he moved in a slow, purposeful walk. And not only that, but upon barely focusing on reading his emotions, she could feel their strength and intensity.

"Starfire, have you seen him around before?" Raven questioned, quietly gesturing to Eli with her head. The teen in questioned kept his eyes forward, silently walking away from the store as Starfire turned and blinked.

"I have not Raven, why do you ask?" The sorceress took a moment to ponder, studying the unusual intensity.

It wasn't as if he were broadcasting his emotions, but the intensity of them was strong enough that they did not have to be on the surface to catch her attention. And in all of her years of meditation, training, and experience Raven had yet to find someone who frankly held such intensity. Even Robin's emotions were shielded, preventing her from reading them unless he wished it. And unlike the civilians around them, Eli's emotions were akin to a torch amongst fireflies.

"I sensed something strong from him. I don't know what it is." Starfire blinked before putting down the shirt and quietly floated onto the ground.

"Should we have cause to investigate then?" she asked in the rare display of insight and knowledge; a reminder that she was still from a very observant and powerful race.

"Let's keep our eyes on him, it may have been a fluke." Though she was more curious than hopeful. There was something unusual about his emotions, no normal person should have such a strong emotional signal.

Eli quietly glanced across the way, looking not at the shop but the window. Thankfully there weren't any people directly in the way, allowing him to dimly glimpse the reflections of Raven and Starfire. Though he couldn't quite tell if they were looking in his direction or not.

"Can't take any chances," Eli murmured, not daring to just break out in a run or worse, turn himself incorporeal. Even though the power was there, Eli had no desire to just show it off when his job and more importantly his goals required discretion. "Just stay calm, and don't do anything stupid."

Thankfully, fortune was smiling upon him for just one store down was the desired shop. The sign was done in large black letters with what looked to be studs for trim.

_**PUNK ARMOUR**_

"Now that's a name," Eli chuckled, trying to distract himself.

Both Raven and Starfire quietly followed discreetly, or as discreet as Starfire could while floating through the air. At the same time, Eli walked into the store and immediately began looking around. There was everything that suited his style from leather jackets and black jeans with unnecessary but still cool belts to steel-toed boots and combat boots. Even daft punk gloves and to Eli's delight, a set of sleek black gloves with flat head studs and four belts that reached up to the elbow.

Raven blinked, actually looking over the store's contents with an eyebrow raised. The store wasn't as dark as she would have liked, but at the same time the clothes were a mixture of functional and tasteful compared to some of the Gothic clothing she had seen.

Starfire gasped in awe, causing Eli to blink and glance at them out of the corner of his eye. Quickly Raven pulled her friend down and behind a stand of various black shirts bearing different designs and pictures, avoiding Eli's gaze. Though it didn't quite cover their visible legs below the stand as he glanced down and inwardly sighed.

_'Still following me. But, they haven't tried to confront me so I guess that's some good news.' _he reasoned, and immediately began walking around and selecting the right ensemble.

In no time, he had two arms filled with new clothes and set them on the counter. The girl working there was definitely hard to ignore; a streak of bright red and blue went from her bangs back to her two pigtails, with silver skull baring bands keeping them up. And both ears were pierced only instead of normal earrings she had small silver studs in place, and looked like she shopped at the store herself.

"Lot of stuff you got here," she noted as Eli shrugged and slipped out his wallet. Raven quietly peeked around the shirts to catch her first look of Eli, and paused. "Huh, you know what to look for, none of the cheap shite."

"I need something that won't break easy," Eli replied as the girl looked through the two stacks and whistled.

"Good choices, though I haven't seen you around before," The girl noted with a playful smile. And to Eli's surprise, she actually gave him a long once over while totaling up the purchases. "New around here mate?" she asked in a clearly interested tone.

"You could say that, how much?" She took a moment to take her eyes off of him, causing Raven to roll her eyes at the obvious desire and slight lust rolling off of her.

Not as strong as Eli's surprise, the very same that she had felt before on top of that. _'It's not a fluke, so why are his emotions so easy to read? And for that matter, why does his voice sound familiar?' _Raven wondered to herself, trying to think of where she may have heard it before. She quickly glanced at Starfire to find her also looking at Eli, and trying her best not to float over and peek at his purchases.

"Seven hundred five dollars and seventy nine cents." Raven's eyes widened for a moment, and yet Eli handed over a sizable amount of cash instead of a credit card. She couldn't help but feel a little uneasy as the clerk nearly fumbled with the money before quickly handing back the change. "Fourteen dollars and twenty one cents is your change, need some bags?"

"Just two." Raven quickly pulled herself and Starfire out of the store, mind racing a little bit in confusion and surprise.

"Please Raven, did something alarm you?" Starfire whispered, managing to at least keep her voice down.

Raven glanced into the store before guiding her friend out of sight of Eli and the clerk. "No, I just had to confirm that I sensed intensity in his emotions. It's nothing wrong, just a first time for me," she assured the Tameranian who blinked and nodded. "Though I am a little surprised he paid in cash."

"I thought it was normal for the green paper to be used to pay with, is that not the case?" Raven sighed before quietly facing Starfire.

"Credit cards or checks are normally used for large purchases. It's not uncommon for someone to pay with cash, however," she paused and turned her head to find Eli walking out of the store. Both bags were slung over his shoulders and for a split-second, their eyes met.

In that brief meeting, amethyst stared into sapphire, and Raven felt something flicker through her mind. Something unknown yet powerful registered to her, something attached to the emotions of fear that flashed through Eli. At the same time, Eli could actually feel something coming from Raven. A strange amount of strength coming from her very soul it seemed, something not quite human yet it was too alien to identify.

And before they knew it, the moment ended as Eli turned and began walking off. Raven quietly stared at his back, watching in silence and forgetting that Starfire was with her. Only now the Tameranean was floating up and gently poked her friend's cheek, snapping her out of the trance.

"You stopped before you could finish Raven. Should we tell the others about this boy you have sensed?" she asked, wondering what happened to her friend.

"Not yet, not until I know more about his emotions." The last thing they needed was Robin to go off and investigate the teen on a surprising first experience. After all, Raven couldn't even explain why Eli's emotions were so much easier to read than anyone else.

"Very well, and the way he paid with only the green of paper?" Raven paused and grimaced, as that was one thing that did set off a good few alarms and questions.

"Not many people go around with that much cash. Especially if someone thinks they have enough cash to rob them." Raven frowned and quietly scrunched her brow. _'There's a chance he may just be a civilian, but there's something not right about those emotions. I shouldn't be able to sense them so easily,' _she noted, shaking her head.

She had to investigate him later, if she ever bumped into him again. Not to mention, figure out the mysterious Wisp that had shown up, and why they had yet to see him again.

* * * TT * * *

_**Eli's Apartment, Downtown**_

Once the shopping trip was done, and Eli was home, he let out a quick and fast string of curses, stocking up his fridge and closet with his purchases. "Great, just feckin' great, if those two wains were there then I'd bet my reputation that the whole team was in the mall!" he groaned, rubbing his head and cursing.

The teen took a few minutes to curse a bit more and throttled his alarm clock, before tossing into the bathroom sink with a sharp clang. Eli sighed and quietly ran both hands through his hair, walking around his bed-room.

"All right, just calm down. They are the Teen Titans, probably just went there for clothes or to hang out," He reasoned, pacing back and forth around the room. "Just like any other teen, they probably do the same stuff on their downtime, like I would. Probably won't see them again unless I need a quick bite or some new clothes."

_'So why did they follow me? I haven't used any powers, and I doubt they got a look at my face yesterday. The tin-man could have, but they'd already be knocking on my door then__.__' _Eli took a moment in his pacing to look at the pictures he had hanging up on the wall. Most of them featured him and several others, mostly co-workers and fellow bouncers and employers.

He wasn't wearing his uniform in any of them, just so neither he or his fellow bouncers could be identified by anyone looking to hunt them down. Only because they had been thrown out or ejected for starting trouble. While not as dangerous as being a cop, bouncers still had to usually find a way to be hard to notice. In his case, an entire uniform was required, one that would be hard to spot at night and harder yet when in a bar. That way, he wouldn't have to deal with a gang looking to settle some score they thought existed.

Below those pictures were more personal ones showing him with a red-haired woman and a brown-haired man, arms around each other with smiles present. He smiled for a moment and then slowly turned his gaze down to the final three pictures. Unlike the rest, they showed Eli at a much younger age, with his hair in a traditional braid for his clan and wearing a small kilt.

"Been trying to stay low for two years now." Eli walked up to the pictures in absolute reverence and gently traced the people.

The first held him at five years old, wearing a kilt for the first time and with two people holding him. A smiling woman with long black hair but hazel eyes, and a man with bright fire red hair and green eyes. It only took a glance to realize the relation; especially as Eli looked similar to the woman minus her eyes. A close second look revealed that the woman had a bulge of a stomach, indicating that she was pregnant.

The second picture showed the woman in a hospital bed, smiling with a small bundle in her arms. Eli was sitting beside her, eyes wide and gaze fixed on the small pink-wrapped bundle in absolute fascination. His father had been holding the camera at the time, getting a picture of the newest addition to the family.

"Dad, mom..." Eli murmured, gently tracing the frames before his gaze fell on the final picture. A ten year old Eli was asleep on a couch, braid present but wearing jeans for once, more of his mother's slender build present.

Only this time, he didn't have his parents in the picture. Nor was he alone on the couch. A small girl, five years old at least, was curled up against him as if for protection and comfort, wearing a small dress and seeming to contrast to the black shirt and blue denim jeans Eli wore. Unlike him, the girl had long red hair, identical to his father and yet was rather pale and small.

In fact, Eli had both arms protectively wrapped around the girl, yet not as tight as to hurt her. Almost as if the girl were fragile, and had to be protected yet tenderly held in case too much strength might break her.

"Magdalene," Eli whispered in a raspy pained voice. Tears streamed down from his eyes, and his heart seemed to weigh as much as a boulder in his heart. Right under the picture was a simple inscription in old Irish. "Always protected by her brother, never alone..."

Each word seemed to bring a fresh new tear as Eli slowly brushed his fingers over the girl's image before clenching his fist and slapping it lightly against his chest. _'I can't bump into them again; I can't afford to get distracted and found out. I failed you once sister, but I swear on our clan's name-I will find you!' _he vowed, black sparks coming to life around the clenched fist.

"Just hold on, wherever you are," Eli murmured, closing his eyes. _'But first thing's first, I need enough money to get a lead,' _His thoughts were interrupted by the loud ringing of his phone.

A quick brush of the hand removed the tears before Eli pulled the phone out, quickly clearing his throat so the caller wouldn't suspect anything. A glance revealed the caller and he quickly steeled his voice.

"This is Setanta speaking," He stated, pushing down the pain and memories while turning around.

_"I have a problem Setanta, one of my regulars__can't make it tonight. Are you available?" _Eli glanced at the clock before looking over at his closet. The old uniform he wore was still there, but Eli was gazing at the newer one that was beside it.

"I'm available, I've talked with a few people in town and I heard about yesterday. Should I be on the lookout for any criminals or villains?" he questioned, walking to the closet to remove the old uniform and slipped it into the bag he got from _**Punk Armour. **_

_"I can give you the names but it'd be easier to show you pictures in person. And I would like to see who is working for me as well," _Eli didn't even bat an eye as he slipped the bag up into his closet, pushing it out of sight. _"Tonight at seven, before we open?" _The man suggested.

Eli pulled the phone away and then pulled down his new uniform. "Six o'clock. I prefer to know the layout of where I work and who else I'm working with. One thing, can you recommend a motorcycle shop to me?" He asked, carefully placing the clothes into

_"I can, may I ask why the unusual request?" _The teen took a moment, not to think, but to slip the clothes into a small black backpack.

"Just consider it a way to know how to spot me sir," Eli stated, slipping on his jacket. _'And so I can get around without paying for a taxi.' _he added silently.

* * * TT * * *

_**Golden Gate Night Club**_

Two men stood underneath a back-door light, facing a fenced parking lot. The shorter of the two was slightly gray-haired as if someone shook a bit of ash over his head. Thankfully he was dressed decently in a dark-blue dress shirt and a black blazer, glancing occasionally at his watch.

His possible bodyguard stood at a solid six feet, more natural then bulging muscles, filling out his black slacks and gray shirt well. The man glanced down at his boss, before looking ahead.

"I called a few people I know in Ireland, about Setanta." he stated, causing his boss to glance at him.

"And what did you find out? What can I expect from him?" The man took a moment to rub his goatee and spoke.

"He'll be young, but he's also not all brawn. Won't have to worry about him just throwing people out either," The man relaxed a little, sighing with a small bit of relief. "Good at talking too. And I don't know what to make of something else."

His boss frowned, immediately wincing at a possible hitch. "Bad news Brick?" he grimaced.

"No, just a bit odd. Probably nothing anyway, it's almost time he showed up Mr. Gant." No sooner had the words left his lips then a short roar of an engine caught their attention.

Brick quickly stepped forward, clenching both fists and narrowing his eyes and scanning the street. Yet, instead of a dark motorcycle coming into view with a ash-skinned man on the back, a single black small Honda Nighthawk came into view. And on the back was none other than Eli, helmet on and his backpack secured in place. He turned into the parking lot as Brick relaxed, but kept his eyebrows raised, even as Eli parked and dismounted.

Mr. Gant glanced at Brick, both men exchanging surprised glances as Eli kept the helmet on, walking over to them. The teen quietly stopped short and then turned his head to face the obvious owner.

"Setanta, I presume?" Mr. Gant questioned, a little uneasy.

"Yes." Brick cocked his eyebrow.

"And the bag?" Eli didn't even turn and instead pulled the backpack off.

"My uniform, I got jumped on my fifth night while I was walking home in it. I won't make that mistake again," Eli explained, and Mr. Gant gave a small nod before looking to Brick. The large man studied him before giving a small grunt of approval. "I'd like to see who I need to keep on the bounce list sir."

The aged man gave a nod before Brick opened the door with a key and allowed them in. _'Definitely younger than we both expected,' _The large man thought, following them in himself and locked the door. _'We'll see if he can handle one night, Gotham isn't the only place that has problems__,__' _he added.

* * *

Appropriate chapter title I think. Yes, Eli is not going to be blind to the consequences of his little heroics and frankly he's sticking to his guns on his goals in life. What they are, well, I've given you all a little taste. And yes, a new ward-robe was necessary. Can't be living one's life with heroes looking around for you and knowing you aren't a normal person.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, please be kind and courteous and take the time to submit a review. It is always appreciated. Look forward to the next chapter soon!

And a bit of drama and tension aplenty!


	3. Setanta Part I

**AN:** Good lord, I'm behind on my update speed here. But alas, that's life for you, though it seems I'm able to get out a chapter a month which is at least somewhat of a routine. It'll grow more frequent once I get myself into a smooth fluid editing speed and I have finally planned out a solid arc! Why is this important? I have never really thought of story arcs before and employed them for that matter, let alone an original one.

Now some of you may notice similarities between a few other works. Don't be surprised or shocked, I tend to look at other stories and employ rather brilliant ideas from them that I believe can work with my stories. That doesn't mean I copy and that's all, I have been putting a good deal of effort and work into this story to make it original and frankly, RedX Rising had a brilliant idea. What it was, I won't say, I'd like for everyone who reads this to wonder what it is.

Any who, expect Eli to start showing some slow personality development in the upcoming chapters, though by no means is he going to do a one eighty. And I have already planned out a few more chapters, just editing them and proofreading them now.

Thank you to my wonderful beta n00dl3gal and Yami Mizuna for the reviews! It's always appreciated to know people look forward to a story! And yes, once more this has been betaed by my wonderful beta-reader, please take the time to check out her work when you can. And now, onto chapter 3 and the first two part arc!

**Chapter 3: Setanta - Part I**

*** * * TT * * * **

Eli adjusted his glove straps before glancing at Mr. Gant, the Golden Gate's owner who was looking him over. The teen stood tall with his new uniform on, and frankly far more imposing than when he arrived. Gone were the wolf clawed gloves, replaced with elbow length ones bearing round-head studs on the knuckles and normal ones on the straps. Instead of his previous boots, he wore simple steel plate boots protecting the heel and toes, similar to Robin's, he recalled. Only unlike Robin's, his had steel covers over the straps.

A form fitting pair of black pants were worn with crisscrossing belts, both of them bearing wolf skulls and actually going through loops designed for such a style. A dark green shirt was worn underneath displaying a white cross made of chains. Though it was mostly covered by the leather vest. A gray hood was up to cover his head and allowing him to simply peer out from the shadow of the hood.

The ensemble seemed to at least put Mr. Gant on edge as Eli turned to face him, keeping his head just level enough. "I was expecting someone a bit... taller than you, to be honest," he stated, frowning quietly. "I'm a bit disappointed."

"I'll get the job done, count on that," Eli replied, clenching his jaw in irritation. There was already a warning flag going off in his mind, especially at being called in on such short notice.

"Listen kid, you may be good with the bouncers in Dublin, but this is San Francisco," Brick warned, stepping forward so he was within arm's reach of Eli. And Brick towered over him with a good solid half a foot in height. "You better be as good as they say, I don't want any of my men getting hurt because you can't back up your reputation."

"I'll let tonight speak for my reputation, so you can feckin' chill," Eli growled. Both bouncers glared down at each other until a loud strike of a cane on tile broke the tension.

"That's enough! Brick, we will let Setanta prove himself, understand?" The two shared one last glare before Brick stepped back, while Eli merely remained in place.

"Yes Mr. Gant."

"Understood."

The aged man sighed before pulling himself up and began pacing with the aid of his cane. "Good, Brick, give him the folder. You'll find pictures of every criminal that has ever come to my club, and a few that won't but are in the city." Eli quietly accepted the folder from Brick before perusing through the contents. "Don't underestimate them because they look your age. Mammoth can rip reinforced steel doors apart with his bare hands, Jinx gets her name from what she does, so you can imagine what a building looks like if she hits it. Gizmo is just as bad, security feeds are worthless when he hacks them, and that's just the HIVE trio."

Eli gave a slow nod, pausing to stare a single picture. One of a girl with pale gray skin that was more white than ash; pink eyes with matching pink hair, only done up in curved horns and slit-shaped pupils. Every inch of the girl screamed danger to Eli, and he suppressed the sudden thought that the eyes were actually following him. _' I better keep my eyes on that wain, could actually hurt me worse than the others,' _he reasoned, glancing over at his current boss, just as the aged man sighed and rubbed his hands.

The man had to be at least in his mid-fifties, yet something didn't sit well with Eli. Namely, being called in at such short notice for a door job of all things; a job better suited to someone who had worked at least a month and knew the majority of faces.

"What brings them to this club when they'd be more interested in a bank?" Eli questioned, narrowing his eyes. Like two blue daggers that were currently spinning in place, awaiting a single command to be driven into someone's skull. "I'd like to know what it is that I should be looking for so I can deal with it."

"Whom. Not what, but whom," Gant corrected, and the red flag in Eli's head exploded into a massive tapestry of warning. There was a moment of silence and Eli could actually hear the rasp of the man's voice as he sighed. "High School kids aren't entirely dumb, not in this city. They don't go out usually after a villain has remodeled half of downtown-"

"-Or the entire city," Eli pointed out. He glanced over at Brick when he heard several knuckles pop, all of them just by a single clench of the fist.

"Unless they think a place is safe. There's only one real way to ensure that, short of hiring a private army." The words hung in the air for a few seconds, allowing Eli to mull over the man's words. _'He's right, a club would never be opened after a major shite-fest, unless they know it's safe. Even a bunch of teens know that, but cops won't make them feel safe.' _he thought, glancing at Mr. Gant who actually returned the look. "Periodically, while other clubs are closed after a mess like yesterday, I stay open and invite the Teen Titans to the Golden Gate. A sort of thank you for the safety of the city."

Eli's mind exploded as the tapestry burst into flames, scattering ashes in all directions. It was the last surprise he needed today, especially after nearly bumping into Starfire and Raven earlier.

"Ye' feckin' with me, Nora oh Batty, please tell me ye' feckin' with me..." Eli groaned, rubbing his temples furiously. New uniform or not, Raven obviously noticed him for some reason without the uniform on. And without knowing what made her follow him was giving Eli even more of a headache. "Yer' a bleedin' loon, that's asking fer a riot!" he warned, breaking out into his Dublin accent hard.

"Do you have a better idea, Setanta?" Gant snapped, glaring at the teen who only glared back. Despite the anger in the man's voice, the tone alone was not enough to force Eli to back down. Instead, the aged club-owner sighed and shook his head, almost in pity. "Knowing that the Teen Titans are around makes some feel safe, but it also draws their fans out. Nearly all of them are teens, and they always follow where they go. It's a fact of life, and it's the only reason this club is one of the most popular in San Francisco, and why I'm counting on you to do your job well tonight."

Eli grimaced and narrowed his eyes; the teen wanted nothing more than to cross the room and deck the old man for putting him in such a spot. Worse, there had been a chance that Raven and Starfire saw his new uniform and would pick him out. And it also meant he had to avoid using his powers greatly, though hopefully none of them would be needed. It wasn't entirely bad, but it still set Eli on edge to know that the center of San Francisco's media attention was going to be at his workplace.

The teen exhaled for a moment, grinding his teeth and muttering a few lines in pure Irish before lifting his head up. "I don't like it, but I'll do my job. Even with the unwanted surprise," he warned and glared at Gant.

"As long as the job is done Setanta. Brick, show him around the club, we don't have much time before the Titans should arrive," Mr. Gant stated, turning around to face the wall while Eli glanced at Brick.

The large man looked him over one last time before guiding Eli out of the room, leaving the teen to his thoughts as he walked behind him. _'I hate this but I've got no choice. Can't turn down my first job here, it'll start my reputation here or kill it.' _He grimly realized, muttering another few curses. _'Why would they even agree to come to this place after the shite that happened yesterday?' _Eli idly wondered.

*** * * TT * * * **

"Why are we even going to this club the day after Mad Mod's near takeover of the city?" questioned Raven, nearly glaring with demon red eyes at Robin. Even without her heritage showing, the Boy Wonder could feel the anger and irritation in not only her voice but the glare level at the back of his seat.

"Because Beast Boy promised that we would come," Robin replied, shooting a vicious immobilizing look at the changeling. Beast Boy immediately morphed into a turtle and hid within the shell while Cyborg just rolled his eyes as Robin continued. "And frankly, we need a break. All of us, even though Beast Boy should have told us about it first before agreeing to it."

"No kidding, haven't we been to this place before?" Cyborg interrupted, saving the changeling's hide.

"Yes, the Golden Gate club." Raven frowned and quietly focused away from the conversation onto her thoughts. "And there's one more thing. This Wisp, you said he's a bouncer, right?" Robin asked.

Raven cocked an eyebrow, turning her gaze onto their leader. She wasn't alone as Beast Boy morphed back into his original human form. "That's what he said. Why?" questioned Cyborg.

"There's a chance that we may be able to find a lead about him, and I'd rather not have an unknown factor running about my city. Especially one that can't be tracked easily," Robin stated, causing Cyborg and Raven to roll their eyes. Both of them were not the least surprised that Robin was concerned. "Not to mention, why we haven't met him before."

"He was most mysterious, but I do not think he is dangerous," Starfire pointed out on instinct.

"Maybe, but we can't make any assumptions Starfire. And I'd really like to know if he's going to be a problem in the future." Raven frowned and slowly turned her gaze over to Beast Boy. The poor changeling was actually staring at the floor of the car sadly, enough that even she felt pity for him.

_'He just wants to avoid another Terra. Though if he wanted to join us, he wouldn't have left,' _she noted, narrowing his eyes. Frankly, the fact that Wisp could barely be detected by her until he rendered himself corporeal was disconcerting. _'Why did he choose to leave? What reason could he have for leaving?' _Raven paused, wondering for a moment and softly sighed internally.

She couldn't help but find herself thinking about the teenager. Not only that, but the nickname Wisp gave her and the smirk was a bit hard to forget. Not quite on the level of flirting, but it was still something positive to think about. Especially as she recalled his words, pausing to frown at them. _'Did he actually mean that, to see me again? Or was he just bantering?' _Raven wondered before shaking her head and bracing herself for the arrival at the club.

*** * * TT * * * **

_**The Golden Gate**_

Eli watched as teenagers in various clothes and styles moved throughout the large club, many barely registering his presence. Half of them were no doubt under the impression he was just another teen, clueless to the earpiece he wore and the small radio hooked up to it. The teen currently stood short of the dance-floor, positioned near the snack-bar close the entrance. His eyes darted from one teenager to the next, noting their faces as best as he could underneath the strobe-lights. It was already half-past eight and the club was doing fine.

As Eli sat down on a free stool, he saw a girl sit down right beside him. Only, she was actually looking straight at him with a smile on her face, and a look in both eyes that he rarely saw. At least, aimed at him anyway; a look of both interest and a little teenage desire.

"Hello there~" she said, smiling at him and propping her chin up in her palm.

"Hey," Eli replied, quickly slipping a hand back and turned off the microphone to his radio. The girl grinned and held up a hand to the bar-worker who cocked an eyebrow briefly at the pair, namely Eli.

"Two Dr. Peppers please! So..." The Celt stiffened as the girl turned to face him.

She had long blond hair down to her shoulder blades, held back in a pink-hair band with black sequins on it. Classic blue eyes matched her hair, though she seemed to have a feline smile to her, and was wearing a black halter top with hip-hugger jeans. A simple belt made of metal loops held up her pants, and a split-second glance down revealed that she was actually black shoes with pink trim, matching the assorted pink and black wristbands.

"I haven't seen you around before, what's your name?" she asked.

Eli blinked, briefly glancing around from underneath his hood before focusing on the girl. "Setanta, and I'm on the clock right now," he stated, not about to risk being chatted with while on the job.

"You actually work here?" Eli gave a small nod, glancing at the bar-worker who brought them Dr. Peppers. The man said nothing, much to his relief and a quick listen to his radio revealed no one actually caring that he was talking to a patron. "I've never seen you here before."

"First night on the job, and I'm supposed to be looking for any trouble around here." To his annoyance though, the girl merely flashed him a feline smile before popping her drink open. Eli merely picked up the can and easily pulled the top off.

"I'm not going to tell on you. Kitten Walker," she introduced herself, actually leaning in, closing the distance between herself and Eli. Not enough to put her in kissing range but still enough to make the Celt's mind throw up red flags. "Why don't you pull back your hood? No one can really see your face right now."

"That's the idea." Kitten twitched and flatly eyed him. Yet the small smile still remained on his lips, furthering her flat stare into a bit of a glare.

Though it did not deter her for long as Eli noticed. Kitten quickly smiled and tilted her head just enough to peek into the hood's shadow until Eli pulled back quickly. "Anyone can still catch a glimpse, so why bother in the first place?" she countered, throwing Eli for a loop.

"... Because hoods are cheaper and less conspicuous." Eli quickly saved himself. Kitten frowned for a moment, and Eli hoped that she was starting to get the point. But to his disappointment, she recovered and took a long sip from my drink, smiling around the can.

"So you only show your face on a date, Seta?" The shadow of the hood proved itself versatile in not only covering most of Eli's face but also the brief blush on his cheeks. Not even he could ignore such a blunt offer, let alone the nickname that was slapped onto him.

"I-I don't date." Kitten raised an eyebrow, looking him over as Eli downed the rest of his soda to hide his blush.

Even underneath the various colored lights she could still make out Eli's form, especially with his lean arms visible and how snug his vest fit. And on top of that, there was also the plain mystery factor he purposely aimed to work into his look. Only it was meant more for intimidation and not at all intended for allure.

_'A cutie like this doesn't date? Now that's a crime,' _she thought, lowering her soda and started tracing the rim with her forefinger. "So you're into other guys then?" Kitten suggested, and immediately the blush vanished in favor of indignation flashing through Eli's eyes.

"I'm no feckin' arse bandit!" Eli snarled, ignoring the few glances and looks shot in his direction. Even the bar-worker actually stepped back at the sheer anger in Eli's voice. "I won't date right now."

"But you will, so what's holding you back right now? Already got a girlfriend?" questioned Kitten, actually shutting off her own flirting in favor of an answer.

Eli paused, realizing that he had just been tricked and narrowed his eyes. A quick glance around revealed a few curious glances and he grimaced before focusing on the current irritation before him. "None of your feckin' business if I do or don't, go away," he urged, only for Kitten to shake her head.

"I'm bored and you happen to be a new face in this club. It's not like I'm bothering anyone or making a scene," Kitten countered, smiling mischievously at him. Just like a Cheshire Cat, only Eli could throw a cat out; not a patron who frankly knew from the get go that Eli was in no position to do much else but ignore or answer her. "Come on, can't you just tell me why? I'm not going spread it around," she honestly admitted.

"Except fer' me," Eli grumbled, more of his accent showing up much to Kitten's excitement. "Look, I don't have time for a girlfriend, okay? Is that better?" he grumbled.

"That's a bit boring, what about off the clock?" Eli was starting to burn through his patience when a burst of static on the radio caught his attention.

_"This is Brick, the Teen Titans have arrived!" _He was half-way on his feet when the doors opened, and a familiar red glowing eye caught his attention. At the same time, Eli stiffened, wishing he had bought a mask and glanced around to see if he could pull back into the crowd.

But it was too late as he saw the hulking form of Cyborg walk in, along with what he presumed to be Robin and Beast Boy, with Starfire and Raven bringing up the rear. The club went into an immediate state of adrenaline with many of the teenagers looking at the teenage superheroes with awe and excitement, seeming to let down their guards in the process. Many of them were already trying to balance dancing as well as gazing at the heroes, and several pulled out their cell-phones.

No doubt to make calls to their friends about the Teen Titans appearing in the Golden Gate. Eli grimaced at the sheer number, and looked around at how big the club was; just enough room that a great deal more could be allowed in.

_'Just like that damned jackass wants!' _he cursed, feeling on edge with the sheer number of cameras around and several pictures already being taken. The Titans started to make their way to the dance floor seemingly while Eli swept the area for a possible escape route. Only as his gaze landed on Kitten, the teen stopped thinking about a way to hide in favor of studying her.

Every muscle in Kitten's body seemed to be as tense as Eli felt, and she had actually crushed her can in frustration. Though instead of exploding, she actually whipped around and pulled herself onto his right arm.

"What the feckin' hell-" Eli hissed only for Kitten to look at him. Not glare, but look, and Eli could actually see a little bit of fear in her eyes.

"Just follow me and don't make a single sound!" She ordered, and Eli could only blink before she pulled him away from the counter.

"This is one bleedin' weird night." Eli murmured, glancing around swiftly to make sure he wasn't noticed by any bouncers. Luckily, all of them seemed to be focused more on keeping the teens from getting too rowdy, allowing Kitten to maneuver them over to the tables set-up in the corner.

She all but shoved Eli into a seat before taking the one beside him, back turned to the dance floor. A well thought move as Eli noticed the team seemed to be moving only to the dance floor, though there were too many people to see Raven actually breaking away. _'This is a little better, at least now there's a buffer between me and the Titans," _he thought, glancing over at Kitten to find her grumbling inaudibly. _'I must not be the only one that wants to avoid them. But what's her deal?' _Eli added.

Kitten looked up and quickly ordered two more cokes, before slumping in her seat and groaning. "Ugh, why did they have to come here?" She whined, burying her head into the table.

"... The owner invited them," Kitten bolted upright with her eyes locked onto Eli who merely propped his arms up and locked his fingers together. "Mind telling me why you dragged us both away?" He added, actually a bit interested.

"Great, now I can't go here again," Eli cocked an eyebrow up and Kitten grimaced. "I met them, just leave it at that Seta."

"Ye' bleedin' nuts if you think I'm going to drop it when you were pestering me earlier to know if I'm single or not and why," He retorted. Kitten twitched at the reminder but felt her irritation crumble underneath Eli's icy sapphire gaze. "Fair is fair, so start talking."

"Wait a minute, you only said-" Kitten started to complain.

"-Give me one good reason wain, one reason to call out to one of them." Eli warned, narrowing his eyes. Frankly, in all honesty, he had to admit that dating did not rank high on his list of priorities.

Finding his sister was tied with staying in top condition, followed by amassing funds for travel and equipment and clues, and so on. Getting grilled about why dating wasn't in mind for him was on the "do not ask" list.

"... Fine, just keep your voice down Seta." She urged, glancing behind them. Thankfully, no one really seemed to pay them much mind in favor of focusing on the Titans who were either dancing or just hanging out with their fans.

"Another thing, it's Setanta. Not Seta," Kitten huffed and shook her head as the two soda were set before them. "So spill," Eli added, opening up his soda.

"Okay okay, about six months ago I got my dad to force Robin to take me to Junior prom as my date because my stupid ex-boyfriend broke up with me the night before," Eli blinked, cocking an eyebrow before nodding, not about to make any sudden judgments without getting some more information. "And it was fine, until they found my house and my dad. It went downhill from there, and I wound up spending the rest of the semester in jail for being involved. I hated them for a few weeks, but I got over and I just wanted to go back to school and get on with life, it was a one time thing but I know Starfire hasn't forgotten what I did. Same with Robin."

Kitten sighed and looked at Eli, waiting for him to explode but to her surprise there was only silence. Or at least, no answer from Eli as he slowly downed the soda before setting the can down, shaking his head.

"This city is feckin' nuts, who is your dad anyway?" Eli questioned, frowning.

"You honestly haven't heard about it?" Kitten asked incredulously. Granted, it wasn't groundbreaking news, but still it was not everyday an entire city was threatened by large genetically mutated moths that could eat solid steel.

"No, hell, I didn't even know San Francisco had superheroes until I got here, so chill." The teen stated, rolling his eyes. As shocking as it was, Eli could tell the girl wasn't looking to start trouble and that was fine in his book.

"... You're a bit strange," Kitten noted, slowly sipping her soda. "So, you aren't going to rat me out?" She questioned.

"And start a mess that I can avoid? Feck no," Kitten sighed a little in relief before observing Eli as he glanced over her shoulder at the crowd. " 'Sides, less trouble here, the less hassle I have to deal." He added, crushing the soda can into a flat disc.

The answer gave Kitten a bit more relief, but also spiked her curiosity. "You're a bit reserved." Kitten observed only for Eli to shrug.

"You can say that. I just mind my own business when I need to," Eli stated, inwardly flinching.

Namely as he didn't mind his business per say when coming to the city, and wound up making a debut as Wisp. He quickly kicked the thought out before glancing over at the dance floor. And without a word, Eli stood up to his feet out of the chair, glancing at Kitten who blinked for a moment. Actually forgetting that Eli still had a job as a bouncer and she was technically distracting him from it.

Thankfully, Eli didn't hear a single complaint over his radio from anyone and glanced down at Kitten. In the dark corner they were currently at, she could actually see his blue eyes reflecting the dance-floor strobe lights, glowing within the shadow. Like two cool sapphires that were fixed within a mask of obsidian.

"Stay here, if it's really that bad between you and them," he suggested, causing Kitten to briefly give him a small smirk. "I've got a club to work."

"I didn't know you cared," Kitten teased playfully. "I'm touched Seta."

Eli cocked an eyebrow and shook his head. "If ye' ain't noticed then there won't be a fuss and I won't have a feckin' brawl to break up," he stated, deflating Kitten's ego like a harpoon skewering a blimp as Eli slipped both hands away. " 'Sides, last thing I need is bleedin' drama on my first job."

The Celt didn't even pay any attention to Kitten as she stared at his back in a mixture of annoyance. He actually had the nerve to shrug off her advances and disprove any notations, albeit silly, that popped into her mind.

Yet, Kitten couldn't help but notice the way Eli quietly moved through the crowd towards his position at the counter. Hood down and face covered, seemingly shifting through the crowd with only the bare minimal use of elbows and shoulders. _'... Now I'm curious, but the last thing I really need to do is tell all the Teen Titans that I'm in here,' _she thought with a grimace before shaking her head.

_'So, the daughter of a villain goes out clubbing, but wants to avoid the superheroes. I better keep my eyes on her just in case,' _Eli noted, actually turning sharply to take up a new position. Right across from his old one, slipping a hand back towards his radio dial.

"Just want this night to end already," he mumbled under his breath while scanning for any possible problems around. Kitten was at best, a little bit of an irritation but nothing like the wrench that Mr. Gant threw in his life.

All Eli wanted was to earn his pay without complications, and find his sister. That was Eli's responsibility; as an older brother, and the only immediate family that refused to give up on his sister. _'You are out there somewhere, Magdalene. And I will find you, and I will save you,' _he thought, clenching both fists tightly.

The teen frowned quietly before reaching up to his neck, and gently played with the hidden cross underneath his shirt. A flicker went through his mind at the image of his little red-haired sister holding up the gift, and a smile formed on Eli's face.

Suddenly the image vanished in an instant as Eli actually lifted his head up. A single spiritual presence that Eli simply could not ignore; something he rarely if ever felt. The first time had been at a magic show done by the great Zantana, Eli had felt actual magic. It registered not to any of his five senses, but his sixth and felt like life itself but brimming with what he thought of as magic. Something about it set him on edge; though Eli had no idea what.

And right now, Eli wasn't on edge about the magic within the spirit he felt. It was the proximity of the spirit itself, and Eli quickly looked for the source. "Who are you?" Eli questioned, quickly turning his head.

"That's my line." The deadpan voice cut through Eli's thoughts and brought his gaze over to the source. None other than Raven herself, standing right beside him with her hood down in a manner similar to his own.

The intensity of the emotions were undeniable; Raven had found the teen from the mall, the one that frankly drew her curiosity. And to Eli's complete irritation and dismay, Raven actually recognized him. _'Aw Nora Batty, this is going to be a feckin' shitestorm of a night!' _He cursed, causing Raven to arch an eyebrow. _'This cannot get any worse!'_

* * * TT * * *

_**Across the Street**_

Two large yellow eyes stared at the Golden Gate Night Club, resting in the air an entire ten feet off the ground within the alleyway. An enormous figure somehow took a solid step forward, peaking a little bit out of the shadows, revealing a great stony face. Right on the side of the stone head was a small device, near impossible to see without close inspection. A perfectly circular device of orange and black, only with a bold black R over an S.

_"Remember, I want them brought out into the open for surveillance, Cinderblock," _a voice ordered over the small radio, causing the lips of concrete and stone to twist into a vicious grin. _"Any way possible."_

* * *

__And there is the first part of this two-part arc! I hope this stirred up some questions and was worth the wait. I am very pleased with how this chapter turned out, and I hope that this was a good sort of suspense builder/attention-grabber. If not, I've learned how to only do a decent one and can merely improve from here hopefully. And for those of you that despise Kitten from Teen Titans, this is called fan-fiction. She's not suddenly a model citizen, Kitten will still be spoiled but tempered a bit by situations. For now, see her as that irritation of reasonable proportions and not a complete nut-job.

I sincerely hoped everyone enjoyed this chapter and will be looking forward to the next one! As always, please be kind and courteous and submit a review, they are always appreciated.

Until next time!


	4. Setanta Part II

**AN: **Yes, it is another chapter within a short amount of time of the previous one. I have found my grove for this story and I aim to see it through to the end or die trying. That said, I will aim to make the author notes as short and simple as possible, probably one of the main deterrents I think I overlook.

Thank you to my wonderful beta n00dl3gal for beta-reading this chapter! And thanks of course to my beta-reader and CrimsonWolf999 for the reviews! I do wish to express my sincere desire for a few more reviews please. It is nice to know people look at this story but feedback is always appreciated by authors and it is best to let them know what needs to be improved and what is liked. Or if they hate a character, anything relative really.

**Disclaimer:** I own no franchise, only my characters which I have created. Please enjoy

**Chapter 4: Setanta Part 2**

*** * * TT * * ***

Eli wanted to curse to the high heavens in both English and Irish while Raven stared with eyes wide at the literal storm of emotions. It actually felt like she was sensing an entire group at once while Eli ground his teeth and muttered a strong curse. Though Raven couldn't tell what language it was there was no denying the agitation and fury coming from him. And then there was the aura that she felt from Eli as he seethed and quickly frowned.

It was strangely vibrant just like his emotions. The best way Raven could summarize it was that of an intense spiritual aura as it was filled with life and existence. Yet strangely it was nothing like the teenagers around them. Not even Starfire had such a luminous spirit.

"New bouncer," Eli managed to say without growling. Inwardly, Eli was chastising himself for not staying vigilant, and also frustrated that somehow Raven found him. Namely as she was the one Titan that actually sensed Eli in his incorporeal state which frankly worried him. "Can I help you with something...?" he slowly asked.

It wasn't that he had a problem with the Titans; Eli only had word of mouth to go by and one experience meeting them. Mr. Gant on the other hand was the one who threw the time-bomb into his lap.

"Will you help?" Raven's sarcasm was not lost on Eli who twitched for a moment, only to take a step forward, revealing briefly that he actually stood a solid four inches taller than her.

"Could I wain?" The bluntness actually made Raven cock an eyebrow and with good reason. Not many could fire back witty remarks at her, though she wasn't in the best of moods as she actually heard the Dublin accent. A familiar one at that.

"Just answer a single question," Eli narrowed his eyes, inwardly bracing himself for the actual question. And prayed that she didn't recognize him as Wisp. "Did I see you at the mall today shopping in Punk Armour?" she questioned.

Eli cocked his own eyebrow, a bit relieved though honestly a bit surprised as well. The young Celt knew he was blunt, and also sarcastic when in a bad mood, and yet Raven remained stoic and seemingly unfazed. Neither one could deny that they were honestly curious about each other. Raven honestly wondered why he sounded a bit on edge and stiff though Eli was more focused on how she brushed off his sarcasm.

"Could have, I might have been at the mall," Eli replied, glancing around slowly to make sure none of the other Titans were nearby. Raven merely lowered her eyebrow and watched as his sapphire gaze returned to her.

"That wasn't a real answer," Raven pointed out while folding her arms over her chest.

"My job doesn't cover talking with patrons," came the quick counter and Eli had to smile for a moment as Raven narrowed her eyes. "I'm just doing my job."

"Being an ass must pay so well." Eli's smile fell as Raven gave the smallest of smirks. The score was actually even now after that witty shot.

"Look," Eli growled, quickly scanning the surroundings to try and spot any possible cameras or phones pointed at them. "This feckin' night is already a bleedin' nightmare for me," he admitted, surprising Raven with his honesty as far emotions went. "I got hit on by one wain, my boss forget to tell me ye' friends and ye'self were comin' and now I'm talkin' to a bleedin' attention magnet!"

Raven silently studied not only Eli's emotions but his voice. It was clear that he wasn't lying and was definitely irritated, yet Raven did not like leaving questions unanswered. Still, she could sympathize given how annoying and persistent fans and media were.

It was a miracle she could find a small dark little cafe that didn't give a single damn beyond poetry night and a quiet day. As long as Raven kept to herself and merely remained her usual reserved self, then they could care less.

"I don't want any more attention then you do. All I ask for is an answer to my question, and we can both be on our way," Raven offered simply, slipping her arms down to her side. "Fair?"

"Fair," Eli accepted and then glanced around. "Yeah, it was me."

"And that is all I wanted to know, thank you," Raven stated and quietly slipped away through the crowd.

And left Eli standing a little dumbfounded and feeling nowhere near relieved. In all honesty, the Celt had expected a bit of an interrogation. Paranoia and nerves were to blame for a few wild scenes of suddenly being realized as Wisp, but they vanished shortly once Raven walked away. Not a word about his accent, clothes, or even what his job was.

Just the one question and that was it. No strings attached which Eli was honestly grateful for though completely surprising. It was nothing like he expected and yet still confused Eli.

"... I need a drink or somethin'," Eli murmured, shaking his head.

He turned only to stare blankly at the person sitting on a stool just a few feet from him. None other than Kitten who was sipping away at a cold glass of what looked to be coke.

"Are ye' stalkin' me or just being a fucknut?" growled Eli as he slowly walked up to the counter.

"Just curious Setie, no need to swear." The teen didn't even bother to kill the nickname and merely settled for sheathing both hands in the vest pockets. "Didn't think you knew the supers already."

"I don't. Just saw me at the mall, that's all," Eli stated flatly, regretting his choice to work even after his boss' irritating surprise.

"I'm not saying you two shared a book or coffee. She's the last Titan I'd expect to walk up to a civi' and chat," Kitten assured him, calmly sipping her drink while kicking her legs a little.

"Not on my 'give a damn list'," yet Kitten just looked at him with an eyebrow cocked up. "Anyone else notice?" he added.

The girl released her straw and shook her head in the negative. "Nope, you don't stand out here anyway, not that you'd be noticed in anything else really." Eli just cocked an eyebrow and turned his head. "Raven doesn't get much of the media spotlight herself. Only if Doctor Light was arrested or Mumbo-Jumbo was defeated."

"That doesn't really say much. New here, remember?" Kitten rolled her eyes and gave an exasperated sigh.

"You really need to catch up. My point is that she obviously doesn't like a lot of attention, like you," Kitten explained with a huff. "Barely anyone outside of the goths and emos at school mention her unless it's to talk about her lack of fashion."

"Now that's something to remember." She shrugged and calmly finished off her soda. Eli took a moment to mull over Kitten's words before casting his gaze on her. "And you know a lot about her, why?" he asked.

"Being informed is better than being arrested." Eli raised both eyebrows and Kitten smiled. "I don't want to spend another semester in jail and my dad teach me how to lay low," she added. "Besides, I can respect that she doesn't want everyone poking their ugly noses into her business."

"Agreed. Still sounds like you at least like her." Kitten flatly glared at Eli who just smiled calmly.

"Setie, get your ears checked. Respecting her just means I won't talk about her," she stated with a snort. "Doesn't mean I won't slap the magic out of her if she's between me and a hot guy."

The remark got the man behind the counter to chuckle and Eli just shook his head. "This city and the people in it are weird. Keep the high school crap out of my job, I'd like to at least get one night's pay in thank ye' kindly," he stated.

"And that won't look suspicious at all," Kitten pointed out.

"It's either that or I work for a boss who gambles every time he invites the Titans," countered Eli, frowning quietly.

"And now you sound like you hate them," The teen slowly turned his head and quietly stared at Kitten, blue eyes just glowing underneath the hood. "Do you?" she questioned.

"No, they've got their jobs and I've got mine. They do the job have and that's good," Eli said, quietly slipping both hands up and behind his head while Kitten set her empty cup down for a refill. "All I really want is to just put in my hours, get the pay I earned, and that's it. No complications, no surprises, and I'm content with my life," he admitted with a small smile and then sighed. "Doesn't sound exciting but right now that's all I really have time for."

Kitten simply raised an eyebrow and picked up her refilled cup. "There's always time to have fun," she noted.

"Not for me. I've got things to do," replied Eli while his expression turned somber and grave. 'And my baby sister to find,' he added mentally.

"But that's so boring!" Kitten groaned, ignoring the eye rolls from Eli and a few glances from surrounding teens.

_"Someone call the police, now!_" Eli quickly covered the ear-piece, focusing on the panicked order from the radio.

_"Who is that?_" The teen shifted away from Kitten, ignoring the glares from teens as he slipped around them. _"What's the call for?_" The voice was Mr. Gant's and sounded a bit irritated and worried.

_"No time sir, he's already moving to the club!"_ another voice all but shouted as Eli's gut twisted.

The teen dropped all politeness at the lack of room and promptly began brushing dancing teens out of the way. A few glared yet Eli just continued past them without giving second glance. _'Who's moving to the club?'_ he wondered, clenching both fists tightly.

"Shit it's too late!" Eli stiffened and bumped into someone, quickly turning to look at them on instinct.

"Oh fuck!"

"Bleedin' fuck!"

"Most people say excuse me."

Eli whipped around to face the teen he bumped into only to freeze upon staring at a confused and stoic Raven. He didn't even register his sixth sense slapping him in favor of just getting to the door, only to find the one Titan Eli wanted to avoid for a while. Just so he could have an easy night on the job and then get a new boss and a new workplace.

The said Titan could feel the tension like it was flammable gas in the air. Only it suddenly transmuted itself into nitrogen gas as Eli looked at her in completely shock. 'What's wrong with him?' she wondered.

There was a moment of silence that set both of them on edge. The kind of silence that is not simply heard but felt as well as heard within the eye of a storm. Only it was never a good sign at all when it happened.

No exceptions this time.

The front door exploded off the hinges, knocking an unfortunate couple down in the process. Wall material and insulation were sent flying everywhere followed by two large bodies that painfully crashed. Raven was already calling on her powers at the sight of debris heading straight towards her and Eli. It only took a second to concentrate but half a second for Eli's reflexes to kick in.

He all but tackled Raven to the floor, ectoplasm reacting with a single flash of thought. The substance within Eli's body sparked and sent energy through every molecule of his being like chain-lightning as a skull sized piece of rubble struck his back. Only instead of breaking bone, it broke itself like a small explosive went off in the piece, creating a small smoke cloud. The energized ectoplasm was already silent once more where the missile struck, while Eli merely felt a small sting from it.

"Of course it would get worse," Eli cursed himself and glanced down at Raven to see her staring at him in actual surprise. The stoic and emotionless gaze replaced with one of disbelief that Eli had moved faster than she expected, and protected her.

"It's Cinderblock!"

The panicked scream snapped the two out of their moment. Eli whipped around onto his feet while Raven levitated herself upright to see the chaos caused. Teenagers were running back, not caring who was knocked out of the way or knocked down. All of them desperate to simply get away from the apparent monstrosity that crashed the club.

Eli ground his teeth as a brief thought of Kitten's possible condition flashed through his mind. _'Worry after you toss the asshole!_' he thought, missing Raven's surprise look in favor of focusing on the intruder.

Standing where the door had once been was nothing short of a living statue. A towering stone man that held a lofty height of nine feet in height made of solid rock. Professional football players looked small and bodybuilders skinny in comparison to the stone giant that looked around with savage orange eyes. A mouth could be made out that suited a toy crane claw on the face yet their was little expression in the monster's face.

Each fist was roughly the size of a small car engine and the creature had two of them just like a human. Though the lack of a moving diaphragm spoke of it's inhuman physiology and the creature suddenly let out a surprising bark of an order.

**"COME OUT TITANS!"** Cinderblock commanded, stunning the crowd of teenagers.

"He can actually talk," Raven stated, barely registering her own surprise and disbelief. It was impossible to tell if it meant anything or was simply something new.

"So can a fucknut!" Eli snapped and promptly scooped and hurled a chair at Cinderblock. "Get yer' arses out of here ye' bleedin' fools!" The missile merely shattered and barely even registered as a hit to the monster.

"You heard the man, get to the exits!" Cyborg called out as his arm transformed into a cannon.

A quick blast staggered Cinderblock and gave Starfire a chance to knock the monster out of the Golden Gate. Eli bolted forward only to find his legs unwilling to move and quickly found them covered in dark energy.

"The feckin' hell is this?" Eli growled, turning to find Raven already flying in front of him. "Oi'!"

"You have your job to do, and I have mine," Raven stated as the bindings dispersed from around his legs. Yet Eli stared at her for a moment, fists clenched with the urge to follow his usual instinct of throwing an intruder out flaring up. "Go, now!" she ordered sternly.

"Keep that jackass out of the club and aware from side-lot!" Eli didn't even bother waiting for a response and took off.

The teen's mind was already in overdrive, feeling as if he was thrown back into the same situation when he had arrived in San Francisco. _'No, it's not the same. I came and decided to help, not knowing if I was the only one. This time the Titans are already here,_' he thought, quickly helping a couple of downed teens up without caring for a thank you. _'I don't have to step in,'_ Eli thought.

Only the thought died as Eli saw the chaos before him. Teens trying to get out and run to safety while the staff was trying to either fight them for the exit or assist the few downed and dazed teens. He didn't even need to look as he heard a roar to tell the fight was being pushed into the street.

"Get everyone out of here!" Eli growled and ripped out his earpiece.

"American club owners are jackasses." The teen quickly spotted a few downed teens being helped up by friends.

"We need some help over here!" Eli was already over by them when a large familiar hand scooped up one teen followed by another.

"Hey man, can you carry the third guy?" Cyborg asked, pulling the other two over his shoulder.

Eli merely crouched and pulled the teen onto his back by the arms. "We need an exit, the rest are blocked up!" he warned.

Cyborg merely glanced at a bathroom and promptly smashed through it and then blew out the wall with a quick sonic blast. The teen pulled around and glanced at the stunned small group while Eli simply smirked and ran after him. The two didn't care about the rubble and merely moved around and over it, clearing the bathroom and coming out into a back-alley.

Both quickly handed off the unconscious teenagers to their friends before Cyborg found Eli running behind him. The chrome half-machine teenager cocked his brow up while looking at the actually happy smirk on his face.

"You're smiling," Cyborg stated, already subconsciously analyzing Eli's facial structure.

"And you just blew a hole in the bathroom," Eli replied, smirking still.

"Got any better ideas?" sniped Cyborg with a grumble.

"Do another one." Cyborg arched his brow further up. Eli dropped his smirk and scowled angrily. "The jackass of a owner invites ye' to make a killin' and then a villain crashes in. Last thing I care about is this feckin' hellhole of a club; it ain't worth a life."

The larger teen merely smiled for a moment and nodded before the two split apart. Cyborg went off to help his team keep Cinderblock at bay and subdue him while Eli worked on finding any injured people and getting them out. It was difficult and nerve-wracking for the teen to rely on his speed and strength alone.

He wanted nothing more than to just get everyone out using his flight to make it easier and faster. Yet Eli kept the power under wraps to keep all attention off of the club itself as he caught glimpses of the fight. Cinderblock was being pummeled by green plasma bolts and sonic blasts, and was switching from one Titan to the other. Actually on purpose even if it meant taking a blow from another one.

Eli snapped out of his observation as he managed to pull the last of the downed bouncers out of the club. The teen panted and quickly ran back into the club, jumping over a few fallen chairs and tables.

There was still a good portion of the teens inside, causing Eli to grimace._ 'If I see that damn fucknut I'm going to bleedin' break his jaw!'_ he swore angrily, maneuvering around fallen lights and debris. A quick glance at the exits revealed that nothing could really be done without aggravating someone. Ignoring the urge to just energize his ectoplasm and smash a hole into a wall like a one-hit tank, Eli swiftly ran around the club looking for any possible injured people he missed.

He stopped quickly in his tracks as something flickered across his sense. Something faint and flickering that Eli whirled around and scanned for. Yet the teen could not spot the source of the strange energy he felt, more pure than the magic from Raven. It was similar to the ectoplasm within each cell of Eli's body, yet he could tell that it was also strangely dim.

In fact, as Eli started to focus on the strange reading he was picking up, the sounds of the battle and the panic crowd faded for a moment. They were still there but took a side-seat in favor of the new information that was registering to him.

'The hell am I picking up on?' Eli wondered and took several steps back. Throwing caution to the wind, he snapped both eyes shut and tried to concentrate on the energy. It was akin to what he felt earlier, only there was no magic present. 'Can't be some kind of spirit, I hope,' he added, knowing that it might mean someone was dead.

A sudden flicker in the energy caught Eli's attention and swiftly he turned towards it. The time his gamble on concentration paid off as the energy became clearer to Eli and felt almost like smoke. Wisps of energy that were weakly emanating from a single point, like layers on a shell.

"Got it!" Eli snapped both eyes open, victory flashing momentarily.

The victory and feeling of success died in an instant; Eli stared in shock at the sight across from him. Kitten currently had both arms tucked underneath a small girl that barely looked old enough to be a teenager. Yet Eli ignored the thoughts, focusing solely on the massive bruise forming on the right side of the girl's head at the temple. Blood dripped from where skin had been broken and her eyes were currently closed shut.

She was smaller than Kitten and looked nearly lifeless if not for the small rise and fall of the chest. The girl also sported bruises on her arms that were obviously received from being knocked around in the panicked mob.

"Come on, get up!" Kitten urged, make-up ruined from her tears. She tried to pick the girl up but it was clear she was barely capable of even holding her up and screamed. "Somebody help!"

"Magdalene..." Eli murmured, staring at the girl.

"Incoming!" Robin shouted as he dodged a flying missile.

Eli barely registered the shout, watching as the fallen girl's image flickered in his vision. Her features morphed as Kitten's appearance flickered and morphed as well. For a moment he was seeing the very picture that rested on the apartment wall. One of himself and Magdalene, peacefully resting on the couch.

The image washed away to reveal Kitten trying to haul the girl up to her feet only to turn her head and stare in shock. Eli swiftly followed her gaze to see half a car flying straight towards them.

Several thoughts shot through Eli's mind within seconds but only one roared over the rest. All urges that were previously resisted came rushing forward as the single instinctive line took command. _'Protect.'_ The single thought reached Raven who turned around and paused in mid-chant. It was as if a single pulse came out from Eli to her senses radiating the single word in essence; a soothing sensation that actually made her feel guarded and safe.

A feeling that was a bit foreign to Raven as it washed over her and the dark energy she was commanding fell. The rest of the titans couldn't feel it though, and Raven could only take a moment to realize she had stopped and swiftly honed in on the car-half.

"Azarath..."

Eli simply blasted off in every sense of the term, cracking the floor and blowing rubble away from him in the process. The teen was just a black blur in motion and quickly reached Kitten and the girl.

"...Metrion..."

A second was taken to pull the two close and another was spent in order to brace. Every bit of ectoplasm sang with energy, actually causing his body to actually radiate an ethereal aura.

"Zinthos!"

Eli clenched his jaw as he felt tremors go through it, followed by what felt like a small grenade going off on his back. The teen didn't move a muscle as heat washed over him mixed with obvious shrapnel bashing his skin and hitting him. And as soon as the heat died out the sensation of impact went with it. He opened his eyes to see a few bystanders staring in awe and shock, and quickly glanced around.

The entire front of the Golden Gate area up to where was huddled over Kitten and the girl was demolished. Flames were lingering here and a half-ring around his body. With it was the remainder of a black wall and a half-dome that was perfectly aligned to his back. Anything else was gone including cameras and yet Eli was safe along with his two charges.

Eli quickly turned his head only to see Robin used two grappling hooks to trip Cinderblock up. This move was followed by several lamp-posts covered in dark energy being wrapped around the behemoth to bind him. And finally Cyborg joining Starfire in a single combined strike that smashed Cinderblock into the street, actually creating an imprint around him. The monster didn't even struggle in the restraints as Cyborg approached the club with the team except for Robin who pulled out a yellow communicator.

A small sharp gasp brought Eli's attention down to Kitten who stared at him in disbelief. Eli only returned the stare for a few seconds as the adrenaline wore off and the aura from his ectoplasm died out.

"Setie?" Kitten croaked out in shock.

"Stay still and don't talk Kitten," he quickly said, accent actually sounding cracked.

"But, you were across the room." Eli merely glanced over at the spot that he had occupied, only to see a demolished and burned patch of ground. "How did you reach me?" she whispered.

"I just did." The teen quietly slipped out from under the receding dome and looked around.

None of the teenagers were rushing up to him, though a few did look at him in shock. Eli ignored them and grimaced with a few steps as pain flared up in his back. There was no need for him to use a mirror; the pain was centered heavily at the base of his neck down with sharp spikes at various spots on his back.

'Damn, whatever Raven did couldn't block all of the explosion. It looks like she made a wall to keep it contained and adjusted it to cover me. Good thing too, or I'd be dead,' Eli reasoned and glared as soon as he spotted Mr. Gant. The man looked fine aside from some bruising though was withering sharply underneath Cyborg's glare. Even Brick looked a bit frazzled by the large teen and Eli hid a smile.

Both hands quickly found their pockets, and Eli slowly looked around and noticed the cameras were all destroyed. "Wait." Raven's voice froze Eli in his tracks yet the mental cringe didn't come.

"Alrite?" Eli asked, accent coming in slightly as Raven descended down beside him.

"You're walking around too fast," Raven stated and Eli quietly turned his head enough to look at her over his shoulder.

"I'd like to punch my ex-boss before the cops arrive," he countered honestly, glancing over at Mr. Gant.

"And bring attention to yourself?" Raven watched as Eli grimaced and reluctantly turned around to face her. "It's pointless to bother with him now," she added while noting the fact that only the parts of his body that faced the explosion were damaged. "You need to be checked over," Raven stated after she finished looking over him though didn't stop herself from scanning his aura.

Raven did not forget the intensity or origin of the pulse, and with good reason. Despite his attempt to seem relaxed, she could pick-up on Eli's body language smoothly as well as the traces of the protective pulse within his mind. And the traces were impossible to ignore and stronger than the traces from where Eli had huddled protectively over Kitten and the girl.

The one-time arch nemesis of Starfire actually was overlooked by the Tameranean in favor of keeping an eye on Cinderblock. Not that Raven honestly believed even Robin would be in the mood to glare at her or wonder if she was stalking them.

Eli glanced down at Raven, taking the moment to glance over at Kitten and her charge. "That girl needs it more than I do," he corrected, pointing to Kitten's charge. "By the way, thank you."

"You're thanking me." Raven said it as a statement, not a question.

"Ye' saved everyone in here, even those two assholes responsible for ye' invite," Eli admitted while jerking a thumb over at his ex-boss and superior. "And her," he added softly, pointing to the still unconscious girl as Cyborg approached her and Kitten. "More than most people would've dared to do," Eli whispered softly, his accent falling into it's normal pattern; faint but traceable.

"You dared and you reached her first," Raven stated calmly, watching Eli as the teen's eyes widened in surprise.

It was too late for him to simple cover up his expression either, not that it would have worked. Even while she was fighting Cinderblock, Eli's aura had been on her mind constantly from the flickers of instinctive urges to the sudden whirlwind of emotions. All up to the point where he released the single pulse of pent-up emotion in a single action.

Eli remained motionless, feeling a sense of panic going through his mind. _'Did she see me reach them? How? I don't even know how fast I was going!'_ he thought, unaware of Raven's eyebrow rising for a moment before it dropped. Yet, Eli didn't feel as worried as before while looking at the unconscious girl who was being checked over by Cyborg.

"They should be fine," Raven's voice broke Eli out of his thought, noticing that she was facing them and glancing at him. "You could have watched, but you didn't," she noted, focusing on Eli's emotions to see what his reaction could be. "You decided to act even though you knew the risk. Why?" Raven asked, honestly curious about the teen's thoughts.

"To protect," Eli stated firmly as he recalled the single thought that triggered action.

"You don't really know them though, it's a little hard to believe anyone would risk their life to protect strangers," noted Raven inquisitively, glancing at Eli when she did not detect any anger or irritation.

"I did. That's all that matters, and I knew one thing; they needed protection," Eli said, his voice regaining a bit of strength and resolve.

Raven gave a small nod before turning to study Eli. There was no doubt that he was anything but human; she knew perfectly well her barrier absorbed most of the explosion. But not all of it as the scorch marks revealed yet Eli's clothes were only singed with bruises on his backs where cuts and gashes should be.

Yet Raven was not Robin nor did she disrespect another's privacy._ 'I know his signature now. And no one is ready for any more stress right now or drama,'_ she noted grimly, looking over the injured as well as the damages to the building.

"And you gave it first," Raven stated and turned around, noticing the crowd was starting to converse.

"Someone has to. I better get going, last thing we need is people wondering what we're talking about," Eli pointed out, having noticed the gazes somewhat.

"You don't like public attention much," she deadpanned, killing the tension in the air as Eli smiled.

"Neither do you, or so Kitten told me," retorted Eli and Raven simply stared at him flatly.

"And you know her name how exactly?" Raven asked flatly.

Eli took a moment to glance over at Robin and then Starfire as he saw the flash of sirens indicating police and ambulances were coming. "She told me after I gave her my work-name," he replied, noting that Cyborg was actually checking Kitten over and Beast Boy was actually keeping his distance in confusion. "Mentioned some history too, after I gave her a taste of her own medicine," Eli added and frowned. "Problem with that?" he questioned.

"Do I look like Starfire or Robin?" she questioned flatly.

"No, doesn't hurt to be safe." Raven gave a small nod of agreement before looking at his eyes. "I've got my motorcycle to check on, anything ya' need?" he asked.

"Your name for one." Eli twitched a little, both physically and through his aura itself much to Raven's fascination. "And a place to meet you."

"Setanta, and why? I thought we were trying to avoid public attention." Now it was Raven's turn to twitch, though she only showed it as a small dull glare. "Habit to be blunt."

"I couldn't tell," Raven lied flatly as Eli just smiled a little, a bit relieved she wasn't actually hounding him for question. "To talk in private, without public attention."

Eli mulled it over for a moment and eyed the crowd who were thankfully being distracted by the medics and officers directing them away. "Do I have a choice to decline?" he asked, not about to make a scene.

"I don't have control over your free will if that's what your asking," Raven quipped smartly, causing Eli to flatly stare.

"Witty little wain aint'cha, a'ight. I'm available any day now," Eli stated, rubbing his neck to shake off some stiffness received while shielding Kitten and the girl from the explosion. "But ye' know the city better than me, and I only know the mall."

"Wednesday then. There's a cafe not far from the mall, you'll know it when you see it," Raven said and then quietly turned around to walk towards Cyborg.

Eli watched her silently before taking the chance to silently walk over to Mr. Gant. The man looked absolutely pale and Eli opened his mouth to speak only to find Brick already handing him a simple envelope. The teen slowly moved away from the two, a little confused at their change in behavior before attributing to Cyborg's possible chat with them. Even though the job was a bust, Eli still stopped for a moment to look towards Kitten and the girl while slipping on his helmet.

Thoughts of his hasty decision to protect both Raven as well as Kitten and the unknown girl flashed in his mind. _'Magdalene would be about her size and age I think. As much as I need to stay low, I can't sacrifice someone's life and safety. I wouldn't want that for me,'_ thought Eli as he quietly got off his Nighthawk and walked over to Kitten. The girl looked up at him for a moment before Eli gently helped the medics get the girl onto the stretcher to many surprised teens' eyes.

*** * * TT * * ***

_**Unknown Location**_

A single pair of blue eyes watched the screens, belonging to a teenage girl sitting comfortably within the shadows upon a chair. Her eyes narrowed as she watched the images of Starfire, Robin, Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy fighting Cinderblock. The girl quietly looked to the second row of screens, focusing on the images playing back.

In particular, the hooded form of Eli talking with Raven as well as the image of a black blur that was hidden by Raven's shadow wall. The girl tapped a key and the image froze to reveal Eli huddled over Kitten and the unknown girl protectively, clearly visible behind the shield as the car half was about to impact. She glanced over at the other screens to notice the clock on the other screens, and the few seconds that passed between the two being unprotected to Eli reaching them.

"Miss Wilson, it seems the Golden Gate will be shut-down because of this incident," a cultured voice spoke up, coming from a man wearing a white suit with a black shirt and white tie. Both hands behind his back and standing at attention like a soldier. "Unfortunately the surveillance cameras within the club were damaged with Cinderblock's arrival."

"It was a calculated risk," the girl replied calmly as she watched the current feed. 'As was this little incident. The Titans will not be relaxed at any evening clubs anymore, I will have to switch to a different tactic,' she thought, pressing her fingers together in a manner similar to one other man.

"Shall I arrange Cinderblock's retrieval next week?" Wintergreen asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Do so, and locate Cheshire of the H.I.V.E for me. I need someone who can move undetected where Cinderblock cannot," came the reply as the girl took a moment to study Eli. Due to the angles of the cameras, his face could not be made out exactly though she could see Eli's back and the marks on his back.

"Yes madam. Anything else?" The girl closed her eyes and silently allowed her thoughts to dwell on a peculiarity she noticed. Frankly, the surprise action of Eli actually throwing a chair at Cinderblock and from what she could see, protecting Raven.

It was unlikely that the sorceress had a relationship with anyone outside of friendship. Yet, the fact that Raven approached the very same person after the battle was no coincidence. "Continue to keep tabs on the Titans while they are in the city. And Wintergreen, has any bouncer ever attacked any villain before in this city since the Titans arrived?" she asked.

"No, most try to avoid and simply call the police. Even if it's Gizmo or Billy Numerous." The girl opened her eyes to reveal an intrigued glint in them. And she knew her father would be cross if she dared to overlook the slightest unknown factor.

"Get a list of the bouncers that worked at the Golden Gate this night and find me a name to this unknown party," she ordered, studying the screen as Wintergreen bowed and left the room. Slowly the girl stood up to reveal her solid five foot five height and quietly placed both hands behind her back.

Both eyes were cold and carried a steel edge as she studied Eli on the screen. Even as he went out of view and briefly drove off through another screen that depicted the back-alleyway. "I know what father would do with you, keep his eye on you to see if you are a threat," she stated aloud, ignoring the numerous clocks ticking behind her on the wall with the gears exposed. "Or if you are an ally."

* * *

And thus the plot thickens... and yes, I am also making short end notes as well. Best to not distract from the story and bore everyone.

Reviews are deeply appreciated, flames will be analyzed and stored for winter use. Either way, kindly submit a review.

**Konpeki Rei**


	5. Mystery of Eli

**AN:** Once again, I have a good plan and a good grove going. A little bit of trouble in the current later chapter I'm working on but it's not unexpected. Finally have a bit of the heavy primary arc underway and you can bet it's going to be nerve-wracking!

And gratitude once more towards my beta reader, n00dl3gal! She has done yet another round of excellent work, especially putting up with my worrying and what not. Also, thanks goes out to n00dl3gal, CrimsonWolf999, and PurpleStarsGreenFire for the reviews! Please continue with them, I always enjoy feedback and look forward to reminders to keep all characters in character! Last thing I desire is to ruin a work with OOC mayhem, especially when Guardian Reaper is turning out so well.

**Disclaimer:** I own no franchise, only my characters which I have created. Please enjoy the story!

**Chapter 5: The Mystery of Eli**

*** * * TT * * * **

_**San Francisco, California**_

It was Wednesday morning and Eli lowered his Nighthawk down. Right over his chest with hands flat against the side, actually holding it just an inch off his chest. The teen exhaled and lifted the motorcycle as high as he could and held it for a few seconds, only to then lower it back down. Thankfully his apartment complex had an actual parking garage and he was currently in a bottom corner, using his motorcycle as a weight.

Eli inhaled deeply and then set the Nighthawk back upright and brushed off his hands. A fine layer of sweat covered his body, staining the gray jersey in a fine ring at the arms and neck. "Better than a weight-bar," he softly chuckled, making sure that no one was really around.

"I checked on that kid yesterday," Eli said quietly, while thinking about the girl he protected as well as Kitten. "Wonder if she told her dad about me," he thought for a moment about the possibility before shrugging. "I'll swing by quickly," Eli concluded and went up to his apartment.

After a nice hot shower and a change of clothes, Eli slipped back into the parking garage. His normal outfit for the day consisted of dark-green cargo pants with a dark blue t-shirt and his Celtic Jacket with a simple pair of fingerless leather gloves perfect for free-running, dark green steel-toed boots and a gray beanie with a green shamrock on it.

He hummed a small little Celtic Rap tune he knew of while getting onto the Nighthawk. Within a few minutes Eli was already driving down to the hospital with a small frown on his lips.

*** * * TT * * * **

_**San Francisco Hospital**_

Eli walked out of the elevator, helmet resting with his motorcycle and his silver cross hanging around his neck. The teen quietly followed his memory towards the room, glancing around silently. A few nurses looked at him and one actually watched Eli walk for a moment before smiling at the handsome teen.

_'Should be right here,' _he thought while putting a hand on the door and opened it, pausing half-way through the doorway. _'Now this is a little awkward,'_Eli noted while taking in the surprise of five unexpected people in the room. And of course, one currently wide awake girl, the very one he had helped Raven protect. Kitten was at least an expected face but not one that filled Eli with relief.

Kitten actually blinked in surprise, honestly wondering who Eli was and why he was there. She was there for the honest and simple reason of making sure the girl was okay. And also to hopefully at least get the chance to thank Setanta, which made Kitten pause in thought. The only other reason she could think of for Eli being there was being the girl's boyfriend but a glance at her family told her otherwise.

"Who are you?" the man, obviously the girl's father, asked.

Eli quickly took in the features of the family; the two boys taking after their father with a same semi-boyish structure only the father had dark brown hair and soft hazel eyes. The two boys had similar brown hair but the shorter of the pair had hazel blue eyes while the other had green eyes.

Between them was a girl that had to be at least six with short brown hair and soft green-blue eyes. With her was a woman that could only be the mother; short blond hair in a simple page boy style cut with blue-green eyes. And now that Eli could see the girl properly, he noticed that unlike her mother and sister, the girl had goldenrod blond hair and crystal blue eyes.

"Do I know you?" asked Kitten, causing Eli to turn to look at her. She had on a simple pink shirt with a folded denim jacket in her lap and a pair of denim jeans on with a pink hair-band. "You look a little familiar," she added slowly.

"I don't wear a hood off the clock," Eli replied and Kitten promptly gawked in surprise. "Eli, Eli Cormac Dolan. I just wanted to make sure your daughter was recovering," he added with only the minimum of his accent in his voice. "You must be her parents," Eli said.

"Adrian Quart, this is my wife Melissa," the man said while introducing his family. "Our twins, Nathan and Daniel, and our youngest, Elisa," he paused and smile. "And Alexis, though I'm still a little confused as to why you are here," Adrian admitted.

"Do you go to the University with our daughter?" added Melissa, actually getting Eli to do a double-take. The teen was not honestly expecting to get that kind of a question.

"No, I'm not a classmate. I was working Monday Night at the Golden Gate," Eli explained and quietly closed the door while both Adrian and Melissa stiffened. "I helped your daughter onto the cot," he added gently, glancing at Kitten who continued to stare. "I just wanted to make sure she was okay," Eli assured them as the family relaxed while Alexis blinked and then perked up.

"You were the bouncer that jumped in front of me and Kitten, right?" The sudden question snapped Eli to attention, only the teen quietly sighed and gave a small smile. "The paramedics told me someone helped them put me on the cot and Kitten told me what you did!" Eli quietly blushed a little and glanced at her parents.

Though Eli wanted to keep a low profile, he felt more comfortable coming forward about the incident. It wasn't as if they could put their daughter's safety solely on him; Raven had been far more crucial than he. At least, as far as Eli knew and that was enough for him, especially as the girl honestly reminded him a little of his sister.

"Thank you so much!" Eli nearly phased out of Melissa's arms but managed to keep the power in check.

"I didn't do much ma'am, it was Raven who made the shield," he tried to point out. "She was the hero," Eli quickly added and Kitten smiled.

"But you shielded us anyway," Kitten replied, keeping the tidbit of his speed out. "Um, thank you, for saving both of us." Eli blinked as Melissa released him only for Alexis' siblings to hug him tightly.

All three were blurting out gratitude and Eli could only give them smiles. He watched the trio return to their sister's bedside while Melissa joined them and Adrian warmly shook his hand. Eli was honestly just glad they weren't making too big of a deal out of it, though he couldn't shake off the feeling there was more to it. 'It's not like a took a bullet for them.' he thought as Adrian cleared his throat gently.

"Thank you for what you did." Eli opened his mouth but Adrian held up a hand to cut him off. "There's something you should know. The way Alexis fell was strong enough to give her a concussion," Adrian whispered with a frown as Eli grimaced. "The doctors told me that if she had received any additional damage, she wouldn't be my daughter as I know her." All of the worries Eli had lingering in his mind died instantly at the statement. "You and Raven didn't just save my little girl's life and Kitten's. You saved my daughter's mind," he stated.

"I only tried to shield them," Adrian smiled at Eli's dumbstruck expression and shook his head.

"You may think that but I honestly believe if you two hadn't protected them..." Adrian trailed off and shook his head. "I consider you a hero, even if you don't think you are," he stated.

"All I meant to do was protect them," Eli murmured, just barely on the edge of Adrian's hearing as the teen glanced at Alexis. The girl was currently smiling and laughing with her siblings. "That's all," he stated as his gaze softened, the image of his sister forming over Alexis.

"And you did, if there's anything my family can do for you, please let me know," Adrian stated and warmly clapped the teen on the back.

A thought struck Eli, two actually that were an honest concern. "If it's okay with you, I only really need my name kept out of the papers," Eli sighed softly as Adrian blinked in surprise. "If any reporters or anyone asks, could you just say a good Samaritan helped?" he asked politely.

"That's a little strange, any reason why?" Adrian's question only made Eli smile sadly and nod.

"I don't like the idea of being seen as some kind of local hero for doing what I thought was right," Kitten looked at him, actually hearing him as the teen was speaking just loud enough that the family could hear him too. "The only thing I wanted, I did," Eli added. "And I've got a new job to find anyway. Being hounded by reporters about who I am and what I did is the last thing I want," he said with a small shudder.

"That I can understand, and I'd rather let them tear up the Golden Gate instead of make my daughter into a miracle story." Adrian nodded in agreement and paused to look Eli over once. "A little hard to believe you're a bouncer for a club," he noted.

"I get that a lot from club owners," Eli admitted, holding back the mention of pubs he worked at.

Adrian smiled and actually handed a small piece of paper with a scribbled address on it. "This is my address and work-number, don't hesitate to drop by," he added and left Eli to smile and quietly pocket the paper.

"I won't sir. It was nice to meet you all, and I'm glad your doing better Alexis," Eli said as he walked over and offer his hand. Only Alexis pulled herself up while grabbing his hand, embracing the teen to his surprise.

"Thank you Eli, for saving me." The teen stared, honestly a little shocked at the embrace. "And my new friend too," she added, smiling at Kitten who grinned in return while getting up. "I'll be out of the hospital in a few days, can you come by to visit?" she asked them both.

"Of course, and you can tell me about these classmates of yours," Kitten stated with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"All right, take care of yourself Alexis," Eli replied, honestly a little dazed as he walked out of the room.

The teen wasn't sure what to think but a small thought in the back of his mind told him that a selfless deed was done. And though at first Eli thought of Magdalene, in reality he knew perfectly well why he acted. Seeing Alexis lying unconscious and vulnerable reminded him exactly of his fragile little sister; and that it was his duty to protect her. Not because they were siblings, but because Eli had the strength and heart to keep her safe.

Eli walked back towards the elevator, only to pause at the sound of rushed footsteps. "Wait a second Eli!" called out Kitten, causing the teen to turn around. "I wanted to talk to you," she said upon reaching him.

"It's like I said before, I just did what was right," Eli stated calmly noticing that the staff wasn't paying them much heed oddly enough. "And please, just keep me as an anonymous bouncer," he whispered.

"I'm not going to blab," she replied, causing Eli to blink when the girl actually pulled him into the elevator. "You didn't blab me out in the club and you saved my life. I'm spoiled, not ungrateful," Kitten chimed and tapped the bottom floor button.

"Probably would have been worse if I did and Cinderblock came in while a fight was already starting," Eli pointed out bluntly and Kitten nodded. "And well, I don't really want to be the focus of media attention," he stated, shrugging. "Wait, you aren't going to ask me out, are you?" Eli questioned, eyeing her warily and debating about actually turning non-corporeal and bolting.

"Please, you're cute but not really my type," Kitten stated, rolling her eyes and Eli cocked an eyebrow.

"I don't know if that's a compliment or not," he said honestly and Kitten giggled. Eli was honest but clearly far too blunt for her tastes, even though he did hold respect and privacy highly.

"It is, and I'll still flirt with you just for fun," she admitted with a giggle.

"Okay, so then what do you want to talk to me about?" Eli asked while trying to change the subject, though Kitten didn't answer until they reached the ground floor.

"Not here, second rule Daddy taught me; never have a conversation in an open place unless it's chit-chat," Kitten replied, holding up two fingers and sighed. "As much of an idiot that Mothman reject can be, he isn't wrong about that," she added and looked to Eli. "There's something bugging me about that night," Kitten murmured.

"And it's not Cinderblock, is it?" Eli questioned, his smile gone in favor of a thin frown.

"Daddy already wants to tear him apart, but it's you, Eli," Kitten paused and turned to face him outside of the lobby.

"What about me?" he raised an eyebrow, inwardly wondering if he actually took flight briefly or not that night.

"You saved me even though Daddy's a semi-villain and I was a one time villain," Kitten stated, quickly holding up a hand to intercept questions. "Don't ask, he just is," she added. "You actually threw a chair at Cinderblock, and Raven wanted to talk to you." Eli flinched and Kitten frowned slowly. "I don't know why she does but I know this much," she stated.

Kitten walked into the parking garage with Eli in tow, only to head to a small pink Vespa scooter and then turned around. "Only Daddy could have made that distance before Raven," she stated and slipped on her helmet. "So how did you?" Kitten questioned.

"That's a secret Kitten, please respect that," Eli stated firmly, going over to his Nighthawk. "I'm just trying to make a living, that's all," he added.

"For now Eli," huffed Kitten before strapping her helmet in place. "Hey, you said you were going to meet Raven today right?" she asked.

"And how do you know that?" Eli fired back, helmet on and visor done.

"You aren't the only one with a few secrets," teased Kitten, actually giving him a cat-like smile. "And I doubt you know where to look exactly," she added teasingly.

"Okay, are you offering to help? I thought you wanted to avoid attention," Eli questioned, arms folded over his chest as Kitten revved up her scooter engine.

"Just follow me, and worry about what dark and creepy wants to talk to you about," Kitten said, avoiding the question with a grin as Eli rolled his eyes and brought the Nighthawk engine to life.

Eli watched as Kitten pulled out first and paid the toll to the parking garage and quickly followed. The teen couldn't help but mull over how he could be honestly risking exposing himself as anything but normal. "Worrying won't do much, and it's not like I'm going out in tights and fighting crime," he said aloud, easily keeping up with Kitten and her Vespa.

*** * * TT * * * **

_**Jump City Street, San Francisco**_

Eli parked his motorcycle in front of a cafe. The very cafe that Kitten assured him Raven no doubt loved. The teen glanced off in her direction to see the blonde already heading to the mall on her Vespa. He quietly shook his head and took off the helmet while entering the cafe.

"Pretty nice place," Eli mused softly to himself, looking around the dark yet reasonably good looking cafe. The teen quickly checked his watch and found a familiar essence registering on his sixth sense.

Accompanied by the actual sight of Raven quietly reading at a table, a single cup of tea set before her. Eli turned and slipped the helmet onto the rack hanging short of the door before walking over to the table. Raven promptly looked up from her book and calmly adjusted her bookmark before setting the book itself down.

"Am I late?" Eli asked, slipping the jacket onto the back of the chair and sat down.

"I only arrived ten minutes ago. The people here will ignore us and just stick to their own business," Raven stated as she quietly picked up the tea-cup and took a small sip. She lowered it down and then silently looked at Eli, taking note of what his dark clothing hid the night before.

"No wonder you chose this place," Eli noted and ordered some tea. "So, shall we talk?" he asked, and Raven took a moment to blink, reading the curiosity radiating from him.

She quietly focused on the various questions floating around in her mind, deciding to start with the simple ones first. "What is your real name?" Raven questioned, and Eli took a moment to sigh and frown.

"Eli Cormac Dolan, and I'd appreciate it if you kept that to yourself please," he replied and Raven merely quirked her eyebrow up once more. But Raven complied, seeing no real point to bring him up to anyone. Especially as she had yet to figure him out herself.

"Very well. And where are you from exactly?" Raven asked as her gaze meet Eli's, noticing the sudden edge that she put him on.

That was the most identity dangerous of questions; giving it out could give away that he acted as Wisp. Eli wanted to lie but at the same time, he knew for a fact that lying was only going to bring up more questions. And frankly, at least if she knew one fact then she might ease back and respect his privacy.

"The capital of Ireland, Dublin," he replied swiftly, focusing on Raven's studious gaze with his own intensity. Raven knew he was telling the truth, and dimly she recalled one other person mentioning the city recently.

Though she was not about to jump to conclusions without a bit more proof to support her current theory: that Eli could be linked to Wisp. They both had the same emotional intensity which was impossible to ignore. Not to mention Raven doubted Batman acted like the world's greatest detective when not wearing his costume. It would look too suspicious, and frankly Eli trying obviously to stay low threw up a green flag, not red.

"And you did work there as a bouncer just as you did here, correct?" she asked, watching Eli's emotions. Actually watching, as it was unusual for her to even do so with anyone but the emotional aura from Eli was akin to a flame only it also showed emotions. And currently Eli was not only panicking, but also giving off more anxiety than Beast Boy when faced with an all you can eat buffet at a rib joint.

"I did. And why do you want to know if I did or not?" retorted Eli, eyes narrowed in a little bit of justified indignation. Especially as he did not come there to be interrogated, though thankfully no one seemed to be giving half a damn about them as his tea came.

"Someone else came from that city. Doing the same work as you," Raven replied, and quietly took a sip of her tea. Only she wasn't doing it calmly, as Eli's emotions were radiating with such strength that it frankly actually made her nervous. And she needed to find out why Eli had the emotional output of at least five Starfires, combined.

"It can happen," Eli lied, only for Raven to stare at him flatly. The teen sighed and quickly downed a solid sip before exhaling. "Work in the States pays more than Dublin, and I need the money," he added.

"Especially as shopping sprees like the one you had at Punk Armour aren't cheap, though why do you need more money when you've already speant a lot as it is?" The question froze Eli in place and Raven actually stared with wide eyes. The emotional aura Eli held actually seemed to lock up, all of the emotions washed away to leave a blank slate. Swiftly emotions replaced the nervousness, anger, and tension; sadness, worry, concern, a complete somber and depressing wave that Raven actually felt guilty about triggering.

The emotional change disturbed Raven as Eli's eyes turned soft and a sad frown formed on his lips. _'What could even cause such a change in someone's emotions so quickly? An accident? No, something worse perhaps,'_she realized and quietly frowned gently. The conversation wasn't meant to turn into an interrogation, and frankly Raven was expecting Eli to suddenly explode at him or snap, only instead the teen radiated a somber and rather melancholy aura with a bare tinge of frustration and anger.

"That's something I don't tell just anyone. I've only ever told my aunt and uncle, and my cousin. Not even my bosses and coworkers have ever been told, and not for a lack of trying either. I only trust my family enough to keep my reasons safe, and frankly, not even Kitten could pester it out of me," Eli said and then heavily drank his tea, briefly taking the moment to relax and then softly concluded.

"If I knew someone well enough, I might tell them. But I don't think I'll meet someone I can trust as much as I do my family. Not with this secret, it's too important and I can't let someone know just to find them turning on me because they don't understand. It means too much to me to let just anyone know." Raven actually stared, sensing and feeling the emotions with each word Eli spoke and she could not ignore her own emotions.

The guilt in bringing up such a sensitive subject and more importantly the sympathy. Raven could sense how honest Eli was and any lie would have been sensed as soon as it formed in his subconscious. It completely sounded as if the secret was similar to her own secret in nature; not even her friends knew, only the monks who raised her and her own mother. Though she doubted the secret was as dangerous as her own, Raven could not deny that she knew all too well what it was like to hold something so important and wonder if she could ever trust anyone with it.

"And you feel that only you are strong enough to carry the secret," Raven gently stated, and Eli gave a small sad nod before sipping his tea. The sorceress mimicked him before setting it down and looked at Eli. "My apologies for bringing up the subject," she added, feeling that the guilt would not go away unless she gave an honest apology. And Raven did not want to be asked about her own grave secret, let alone a stranger who could hold a secret just as severe. "But, there are two things that have been bothering me, since Monday," Raven said solemnly, watching as Eli finished his tea in a long swig.

"I ain't pissed. A bit irritated, but that's all," Eli said, setting the empty cup down as Raven gave an inward sigh of relief as the blue slate began to shift. He quickly ordered another cup of tea and turned to Raven. "Is it about protecting you, Kitten, and Alexis?" he questioned, only for Raven to quirk her eyebrow at the last name. "She's the girl that I was protecting with Kitten," he explained, and Raven gave a small understanding nod. "Doing fine right now," he added in an afterthought.

"That is good. And not quite, but it is related. Do you know much about me?" Eli studied her and quietly shook his head. Though the teen actually surprised her by paying for and offering her a muffin. Raven accepted it and surprised Eli with a small gesture of shyness by softly nibbling her muffin and lowered.

"Not much outside of what Kitten told me, if you mean what you can do," Raven could feel the half-truth in Eli's voice. He knew somewhat of her abilities, that was true but more than he wanted to let on obviously. Wisp hadn't seen much of her powers really either, which did little to satisfy her theory. "Why do you ask?" Eli questioned.

"Because one of my powers is empathy," she said and Eli stiffened quickly, including his aura as well. Not as much as he did when she asked about where he came from but the way he froze up indicated that Raven had definitely thrown Eli for a loop. "I can sense emotions of any living being," she paused and silently ordered another cup of tea and nibbled on her muffin a little. "But, until Monday, I never sensed someone with such strong emotions, not like you," Raven admitted, and Eli felt his shock and worry make way for confusion.

"I don't really even think I've ever noticed feeling that strongly," he noted, inwardly wondering if perhaps the supposed intensity allowed Raven to detect him. Eli didn't know that he actually stood out in any way, let alone to an empathic.

"Only if the emotions were particularly strong, like Monday night. You were so focused on protecting that the emotion drowned out all others, even fear," Raven explained quietly and Eli slowly gave a small nod, not quite understanding her. "Normally I wouldn't pick up on someone's emotions unless I focused," she added, and Eli listened attentively. "But your emotions are on an entirely different wavelength; a normal person has emotions that are like a flame." Eli gave a small nod, already picturing someone like Kitten with a small flame in her body. "I can see it only when I focus, and receive impressions from the aura." Raven paused as Eli nodded again, understanding so far. "You, on the other hand, have a bonfire of an aura. Even now while I'm trying to block them out, your emotions are too loud for me not to read," she finished and watched as Eli mechanically finished off his muffin.

He honestly did not know what to think or say. There was never an instance like this before in his two years of holding the unusual powers. Eli couldn't dare blame himself for not thinking to hone his mind; there was no way for him to know that his emotions were like a radio-signal to the empathic. The sliver of good-news was not lost though; Raven was confronting him about the side-effect of the spiritual substance within his body. It gave off an emotional signature that apparently Raven could not ignore, and at the very least, Eli was relieved that only one person could sense him.

Not that it was much of a relief as it still meant Raven, a teenage superhero, was already suspicious of him being abnormal. "I feel like I should be worrying about where this is going," Eli bluntly stated, looking at Raven to find her merely staring at him. "I didn't know I stood out like that to a reader," he admitted, and Raven gave a small nod.

"You wouldn't and I'm only interested in learning why your aura is so strong," Raven explained and gave a small smile at the way Eli relaxed completely, actually both physically and spiritually.

She had to admit that being around Eli was different; the teen was in-tune with his emotions, which she envied him for. And Eli could at least admit it felt good to at least talk with someone like him, different, and respectful towards that difference.

"I wouldn't mind figuring out a few things now myself. But I would like to know a bit more about you at the same time," Raven quietly raised her eyebrows in surprise, not at all expecting Eli's words. It was a first to be thrown off in such a manner, and to actually have someone interested in finding out about her.

"Very well," Raven accepted after deciding to see if it would reveal more of Eli to her as the boy in question smiled. The smile itself wasn't anything special as it only showed a single dimple, but Raven thought it matched his aura quite well now. "A question for a question then," she suggested, actually a bit nervous.

"Let's just see where we go first," he replied and Raven gave a small nod, wondering where the conversation could lead. "Do you and the rest of the team often go to night-clubs?" he asked, prompting Raven to raise an eyebrow and inwardly took note of Eli's emotions.

"Sometimes, it was only because of Beast Boy accepting the invitation we went this time," she replied and noted Eli's expression remain rather relaxed though his aura flickered a little.

"Right, you guys have a city to protect and you need to train sometime," Eli said and Raven immediately nodded in agreement at the remark. "Just wanted to know so we don't bump into each other blindly," he added.

"With your emotions, unlikely," Raven retorted, adding a little wit to her voice and Eli actually smiled at the well timed remark. "However, I didn't expect to hear that from a civilian. Do you know how to fight yourself?" she asked, though Raven didn't expect a negative. It wasn't as if current events were good; everyone needed to know at least self-defense, especially a bouncer who frankly had some guts, albeit blind guts.

"I do, my dad taught me hand to hand he learned and my mom could throw a sharp cross herself. And some of my early coworkers at my uncle's pub taught me what they knew, but my dad was the one with the most experience. Helped me a lot too," Eli admitted before softly sighing. "I'd rather not talk about my family right now if you don't mind," he added, and Raven could tell he was obviously uncomfortable and sad; signs of recollection in her mind.

"Ditto. Are you bothered by me in any way?" Raven questioned, throwing out the test of a question as well as to sate her own emotions. Especially Timid as she couldn't help but feel a little bit of naive worry about Eli's demeanor around her.

"Not really, there's this feeling I get from you that is a little weird," Eli admitted, and Raven stared, actually feeling a little nervous and fearful of the answer. "I can kind of feel magic from you and I know it sounds a bit too convenient," he added and immediately Raven's fear turned to surprise at the response. "But I got it around Zatanna so I figure it must be magic since the feeling I got is similar to the one I have right now," Eli reasoned calmly and then grew quiet when he noticed a few wary looks thrown at them.

Raven studied him carefully, wondering how it was possible that he could sense magic without an actual aptitude for it. But she was more focused on the fact that he wasn't bothered by her; honestly not bothered. Though frankly she'd rather talk about the supernatural in a more private location as the manager gave them a small warning look. "That's something else we can talk about, somewhere else. Though, why aren't you? I doubt you worked at an entirely Gothic bar or club to make you used to someone like me." Raven questioned, preparing herself for the answer to come.

"I don't see any reason right now that I should. You respect the privacy of others from what I can tell. You eased up on the questions and didn't just drill into me either. And I doubt if I was talking to the Boy Wonder, he'd mention knowing how to read people if he had your powers," came the honest reply and Eli thought for a moment, taking a small breath in the process. "Finally, you don't really seem to be anything but an empowered teenager doing her job and minding her own business. And I happen to like Halloween, Nightmare On Christmas, and people who don't explode at witty remarks," he added, finishing off the rest of his muffin afterwards.

Raven was simply pleased and intrigued by the answer. Completely honest, and though Eli didn't mention his secret, Raven didn't expect him to. As he valued it so much as if it were a danger to his life as she did her own, then only someone as close as blood would know it. She respected that kind of thought, even though someone would argue it was better to share. Fat chance of that in Raven's book, and it was good to find someone with a similar thought to her own though she had to inwardly smirk a little at the mention of witty remarks.

"Yourself included?" she quipped and promptly Eli gave her an amused mock of a glare.

"Present company at this table of course," Eli countered and then looked at the clock for a moment.

Raven followed his gaze only to notice what time it was actually, and noted how it was already twelve thirty. She knew for a fact that though never one to join lunch often, the rest of the team always checked in on her just in case. As it was, Raven knew it was time to return to the tower lest Robin find out she was investigating the possible lead to Wisp. Or in the case of Beast Boy and Cyborg, believe that she had a boyfriend which would be infinitely more annoying. Not to mention Raven had at least found someone that wasn't bothered by her, whether or not he could be trusted would take time to find out.

The rest of her thoughts and Eli's were put aside when she noticed a particular girl entering the cafe. None other than Kitten Walker herself, though Raven didn't simply jump up and try to tackle her. Frankly, she had nothing really against Kitten as the girl had not popped up on the Titan's radar since that incident with her prom. Though it still made her a little wary of the girl's appearance and arrival as well as promptly walking straight over to their table.

She didn't shriek like a g'norfalg b'lorsch as Starfire said, whatever that creature was. Instead, Kitten merely pulled herself into a seat, a little to Raven's annoyance at the girl's perky emotions but they were blotted out by Eli's own emotions. Especially irritation and annoyance when Kitten gave him a playful flirty wink.

"Kitten, what are you doing here?" Eli questioned though kept himself calm. It wasn't like she just barged in and frankly, Raven only gave her a single questioning look which meant she was wondering why the girl sat with them as he did.

"I just wanted to know what you two talked about," she explained with a cat-like grin before turning to Raven and noticed the muffin wrapper in a second. "Sharing a little lunch together?" Raven actually felt a mixture of embarrassment but also anger at the insinuation.

"Our conversation is not any part of your business." Kitten pouted for a moment before grimacing underneath Raven's rather sharp glare. One that Eli had to inwardly rate as a ten on an intimidation scale.

"And I don't think you want to alert the Boy Wonder and his wain about you being near a teammate of theirs," added Eli and Kitten promptly dropped her pout in favor of holding up both hands in surrender.

"You two are the biggest killjoys alive," she complained though Eli merely rolled his eyes while Raven simply smirked at the statement. "I'm actually here to talk to Settie here," she added.

"Settie?" Raven questioned and turned her gaze onto Eli.

The teenager groaned and shook his head. "She takes joy in bastardizing my handle, even though it's meant for work only," he growled, shooting a reprimanding glare at Kitten who had the decency to look guilty.

"Fine, El's your new nickname. And my dad wants to see you tonight and no it's not to come up with some plan to take over the city so don't break into my house, Raven." The sorceress merely rolled her eyes and flatly glanced at Kitten who looked actually rather annoyed.

"Because that would be the last thing I would think of," she mocked, while Eli had to let out a chuckle at Kitten's red face.

"For your information, daddy just wants to meet the boy who saved my life... and to give you his thanks as well." Both Eli and Raven stopped smirking and stared blankly at Kitten in surprise. "And I'm not joking about that either, he made me swear to pass his thanks along to you," she hissed sharply.

"... And your dad is a villain?" Eli blurted in confusion at the mixed signals.

"He's an idiot Mothman knock-off but he's still my father," Kitten replied and looked to Raven.

She actually felt a mixture of envy and a little jealousy; even a small time villain like Killer Moth cared deeply for his own daughter. Though Raven doubted that her own father gave any kind of damn about her beyond being his gem, it felt hollow to her that a villain showed such love for their own child. It was also a small reminder that despite his crimes, the few that existed anyway as of late if at all, Killer Moth was still a parent and a human being. Genetically altered, but still human at his heart.

"I won't mention seeing you here, Robin's already suspicious as it is," Raven finally said and quietly stood up. "And speaking of my time, they'll be out looking for me if I don't return now," she added.

"Thanks, for a lot," Kitten admitted as Raven nodded and watched as she got up and left just in case.

"Guess we'll talk some more next time," Eli didn't feel too worried about his own suggestion as Raven stared at him. Not like he had too much to be careful of; Wisp was only really known to the Titans after all. "If you want," he added, noting the small hint of surprise at his words.

"I wouldn't mind," Raven admitted, she wanted to find out a little more about him and figure out if her suspicion about him being linked to Wisp was true or not. "Black Knight Bookstore though, the owner has a strong policy against reporters on his grounds." Eli smiled a little and nodded.

"Maybe Kitten can tell me where it is, and let's hope no one joins us," he remarked and Raven whole-heartedly agreed. She slipped into the alleyway while Eli pulled on his helmet and started up his Nighthawk. "I'll see you around fhiagh." And as soon as the words left his lips, Eli felt hindsight deck him hard even as Raven stared at him in surprise.

_'Fhiagh, that's the same thing that Wisp called me-in the very same accent,' _the sorceress realized and immediately felt the waves of shock, horror, fear, and disbelief explode from Eli. And promptly the teen drove off, leaving Raven to stare at his back as Kitten shouted at him and followed swiftly._'And that can only logically cement the truth; he is Wisp,'_she thought before summoning up a shadow to pull her down and transport her to the tower. There was no point in simply confronting him immediately without alerting her team. And frankly, there was the nagging question of what Eli was to even possess such strange powers that Raven had yet to answer...

*** * * TT * * * **

_**San Francisco Suburbs - Walker Residence**_

After Kitten caught up with him, Eli had gloomily followed her straight to the Walker house. The entire drive was spent inwardly smacking himself and wondering when Raven was going to confront him about it. He wasn't overreacting either as Raven had admitted to being able to easily read his emotions though not for a lack of ignoring. And combined with his Dublin accent, all Raven needed for physical evidence was seeing him phasing, flying or using his bio-electricity.

_'If she wanted to call me out on being Wisp then she would have by now. Damn it, I can't keep panicking, if she really respects privacy then she'll just ask me how I did what I can,' _he reasoned, not about to just go into a full blown panic. After all, Eli had a meeting with a semi-villain and frankly that required a lot more attention. Not to mention there was also his own problem of trying to find a job to deal with.

Eli parked the Nighthawk and slipped off his helmet while Kitten simply closed the garage door. Despite going into a villain's house, Eli didn't feel much beyond tired and a little worried about the nickname he used on Raven. The fact that Raven also knew about him going to see Killer Moth stuck out; if something criminal was going to happen, then Kitten would not have mentioned the meeting at all.

The Celt shook his mind out of such thoughts and focused on the inside of Kitten's house. Surprisingly it had no actual signs of being the home of a super-villain and his daughter; it looked much like a regular home aside from the pictures that only had a young Kitten with Killer Moth.

Eli noted the fact that true to his name, Mr. Walker was very much entitled to the name Killer Moth; looking like one for the most part sans additional limbs and the actual grotesque mouth. Though the razor sharp mouth he did have was nothing to write off as Eli knew a single bite would rip off his arm. And frankly he wasn't about to put too much faith in his incorporeal form; being sensed by Raven blew the security of the power to bits.

He looked around the rest of the inside, noting the fireplace that did not look like it was ever used along with the rather simple feel to the place. Not a single hint about a supervillain living there, let alone one that stole anything recently as he didn't note anything of shocking monetary value, aside from a Blu-ray player and a plasma screen TV, but it wasn't anything like a famous painting or a solid gold hubcap.

"You know, it's getting harder to believe that your dad is a super-villain, almost feels like I'm the set of Full House," Eli mused and Kitten just rolled her eyes and slipped her jacket off and placed it on the couch.

"The last big crime that ever happened was threatening the city with the mutated moths, and it's not cheap to go to a private school in California," she replied and Eli merely removed his jacket. "Daddy! I'm home and I brought Settie with me!" Eli twitched at the nickname but shook his head, knowing full well it wouldn't leave him.

"One minute, I have to send in this last report," the rather loud but also disturbingly powerful reply came from the fireplace of all areas. Eli turned to Kitten, staring at her with the unsaid 'that didn't sound suspicious at all' look on his face.

To her credit, Kitten sighed and rolled her eyes. "He works for LexCorp as a bioengineer; they aren't too picky on criminal backgrounds if you don't steal from them," she explained.

"Pay is pay, thankfully Lex Luthor isn't still in charge of it," Eli remarked and Kitten actually shuddered at the name.

"He's nothing like the Joker or Scarecrow." At that both teens suppressed shudders. Lex Luthor was a criminal mastermind to be sure, but no one could really match the Joker in terms of insanity and unpredictability.

"All right, let's not talk about Gotham and I won't ask what your dad does, deal?" Kitten nodded furiously. "Good... so where is your dad's office?" Eli asked, trying to change the subject.

On cue the fireplace actually rose up off the floor via hidden machines and a lift revealing a long hidden staircase going down below the house. Eli immediately stiffened, slipping into a defensive stance only to hear a small giggle from Kitten. The teen quickly glanced at her only to find her smiling innocently, much to Eli's annoyance.

His thoughts were interrupted though by several heavy footsteps and the large form of Killer Moth himself ascending. And in all of his seven foot tall glory, making Eli feel rather nervous as he doubted the man was just some write-off of a villain. Especially with the large muscles that were no doubt underneath his suit, as well as the sharp claws he had and teeth.

Much to his surprise, the fireplace descended back down and the staircase was hidden back away, Killer Moth actually paused to look at him. Compound eyes met normal human ones and the two stared before Kitten promptly broke the silence.

"Daddy, this is Eli, the bouncer who saved my life. Settie, this is my daddy," she said, promptly introducing the two to each other. _'This is going to be one long night, I know it,' _Eli thought and awkwardly held out his hand. And was promptly surprised when Killer Moth firmly shook it, and let out a sigh of relief.

"So you're the boy who saved my daughter's life..." Eli slowly gave a nod and wondered what the man could possibly want to talk to him about.

* * *

A change of pace of sorts for Eli, as well as a few interesting hints a plenty throughout this chapter. But of what?

Reviews are deeply appreciated, flames will be analyzed and stored for winter use. Either way, kindly submit a review.

**Konpeki Rei**


	6. Making Some Friends

**AN: **Everybody gasp! I'm updating again in a week! Why? Well because I'm getting caught up in my chapter work really. It will slow down soon before the arc I have in mind. It will shift to probable monthly updating, I'll see what the schedule will be like as I am not in school this semester.

Gratitude abounding towards my beta reader, n00dl3gal once more! She continues to do impressive work again. . Also, thanks goes out to Guest (alas, if only a name were there but ah well), DiscipleofRevan, n00dl3gal, and Whisper Dark Ros for the reviews! Please continue with them, I always enjoy feedback and look forward to reminders to keep all characters in character and support!

**Disclaimer:** I own no franchise, only my characters which I have created. Please enjoy the story!  
**Small Note: **Minor clean-up.

_Italics with 'dialogue' _are thoughts  
_Italics with "dialogue" _is speech through phones/communicators

**Chapter 6: Making Some Friends**

*** * * TT * * * **

_**Raven's Room, Titans' Tower**_

Raven quietly looked over the three small entries she had marked in her book of ancient spirit folklore; will o' the wisp, revenant, and finally wraith. _'Will o' the wisp is a European phenomenon attributed to fairies or element spirits, including ghosts, said to draw travelers from safe paths. Revenants are visible corpses usually possessed by the ghost of the deceased that have returned from the grave to terrorize the living.' _She paused and flipped to the last entry and frowned. _'Wraith is a Scottish term for ghost, specter, or apparition, mostly dark spirits, or aquatic according to Scottish literature.' _The sorceress sighed and silently closed the book and mulled over the information and the pictures of the three forms of spirits.

The only good news that came from the research was the origin of Eli's little alias which coincided with his background rather well. Raven gently put her book away and took the moment to sit on her bed and sat in the lotus position to meditate on the information. _'I can feel his life-force and he clearly is not a spirit if he can bleed. This does explain his strong aura if he had a near-death experience of some sort,' _she reasoned and then sighed a little before adjusting her breathing.

She actually shifted away from the thought of Eli being Wisp and the powers he showed to his actual personality. So far it seemed like he was a rather decent individual and had a sense of right and wrong, if his act of protecting Alexis and Kitten was anything to go by. The teenager was also rather blunt like herself, reasonably honest, and also private though now she had a strong feeling as to what his secret could be. Yet there was also his pain she sensed that bugged her; it was something deep and impossible to forget.

_'I'm thinking about this too much. It hasn't been a week yet since I met him either,' _she added to herself. Though it was a bit difficult to ignore the memories of Eli's strong emotions, let alone his unique aura. Raven let out a soft sigh and shook her head, before a stray small thought came into her mind. _'He called me fhiagh again,' _she remembered and gave a small smile. Even if it was just a nickname, it was pleasing for someone outside of the team to give her one and not a teasing one either.

The sorceress resumed her meditation and idly wondered for a moment how and when she would see him again. And of course, what exactly Killer Moth wanted to talk with Eli about...

*** * * TT * * ***

_**Downtown San Francisco**_

Saturday morning found Eli already on the streets riding his Nighthawk and quietly pulled into the hospital parking lot. The teen was wearing a dark blue shirt on showing a green shamrock underneath a gray no hood vest, a pair of black cargo pants along with his steel toed and heeled boots as well as a Celtic Knot belt and his long black gloves with a studded punk cap that he pulled on after parking. He was actually contemplating the polite and rather legal offer that came from Killer Moth. It was a little over-reactive of the man but on the other hand, the man actually had some reason to his overprotective nature of his daughter.

_'I'd be worried too, if I came from Gotham. I don't know how the Boy Wonder or the Dark Knight do it,' _he thought to himself. The offer had been simple and frankly Eli was actually considering it; to be Kitten's bodyguard whenever she went out at night even if it was to another club. _'Can't say I blame him either. Barely been a week and I've already met two, technically three villains and nearly fought the second,' _Eli added with a frown.

It was starting to seem difficult to lay low, and would be near impossible if he accepted the job from Killer Moth. Not that there was much reason not to; Kitten though social and spoiled, was no idiot and had her father's brain despite using it only to pass school. The fact that she had been out of jail for a solid six months and didn't commit any crime other than the infamous prom situation was enough for Eli to consider it.

The only downside really that Eli knew would be a bit of trouble was how it would look to possible employers when he mentioned being Kitten's bodyguard. But that was it, and frankly Eli honestly doubted Killer Moth really had much invested in villain work as of late. He did a bit of background checking before he left the Walker Residence, and was a bit surprised that Killer Moth only had a minor criminal record compared to most villains. The biggest mark was an attempted takeover of San Francisco along with bioengineering moths.

Eli didn't see much else besides a minor criminal record in Gotham which didn't set off any red flags. The fact that Batman hadn't brought the super-villain back to the city was another hint that though dangerous, Killer Moth didn't seem to be much of a villain. _'I'll call him up later and accept the job. I need to keep up my rent anyway and I can't stretch my budget anymore,' _he added as an afterthought, already on Alexis' floor and walked to her room.

The boy noticed a white-haired balding man wearing a fine driving suit with a small graying outline of a moustache and looked rather healthy for a man nearing the end of middle-age no doubt. Eli was a bit surprised to see the man and quietly stood up straight and adjusted his cap as the driver glanced at him calmly. He reminded Eli of an English gentleman that once visited his uncle's pub, sans the monocle.

"Good morning sir," Eli politely greeted, not about to set off any alarms with the man.

"Good morning, are you here to see Ms. Quart?" the man asked, returning the politeness with his own.

"Just to check in on her, Eli Dolan, acquaintance of hers," Eli replied, offering his hand to which the man accepted and shook it politely.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, master Wayne is also here to see that Ms. Quart is recovering smoothly." The simple name sent an entire tapestry of flags up as Eli peeked in through the window and stared.

He knew the name Wayne after all; everyone knew of Bruce Wayne, multi-millionaire play-boy yet also business genius and philanthropist. The man was irresponsible, self-absorbed and superficial as far as the world knew him. Eli honestly couldn't say as frankly he came from Gotham and the fact he was still alive had to account for something. Or at least, Eli thought so, and quietly slipped into the room with a polite nod to Alfred Pennyworth.

As soon as he entered, Alexis perked up and eagerly waved to him and Eli gently smiled at the small blonde. Though he quickly turned his attention onto Bruce Wayne himself, and was able to at least see that he definitely fit the appearance of a playboy and looked physically fit. More so than Eli, which was a bit intimidating as the man had only three inches on him but a solid build of an Olympic athlete. '_Playboy who looks like he could play Rugby and not come out a bleedin' mess,' _he thought and stood up a little straighter when the man gave him a little amused smile.

"I didn't know you had a boyfriend Alexis," Bruce teased, causing the girl to turn dark red while Eli turned a little pink.

"He's not my boyfriend Mr. Wayne!" blurted Alexis, shooting Eli an apologetic look. "And I need to finish my degrees first..." she added, trying to not look at Eli.

"Don't get too focused and forget to enjoy yourself," the playboy chuckled and offered his hand to Eli. "Bruce Wayne, and you are?" he asked.

"Eli Dolan." As he shook the man's hand, Eli could not help but pick up on the hidden strength of the man. And there was something else, something about the way Bruce looked at him that made him feel nervous.

Bruce firmly shook his hand before slipping both into his pant pockets. "So your one of her classmates from college then?" Eli shook his head as Alexis managed to calm down and lose her blush.

"No, I only met her a few days ago," he carefully replied and Bruce blinked for a moment. "I guess Alexis hasn't told the how, yet," Eli added and looked to the young girl.

"Kind of forgot to... sorry Mr. Wayne, Eli is the one who helped Raven save me." Bruce turned in surprise and Eli couldn't help but notice the flicker of recognition, or at least a flicker of something in the man's eyes. "I owe him a lot. I wouldn't have my smarts still if not for him," she added and Eli's eyes widened in surprise.

"Wait, you know about that?" Eli asked and Alexis smiled gently.

"I go to the University and I'm only sixteen, my expertise isn't medical science but I know enough to figure out what would have happened to me if you didn't step in." The young Celt was finding himself at a bit of a loss for words. He was honestly a little curious about how old Alexis was, and the fact that she went to a University at sixteen set off warning bells.

"I believe that means I owe Eli here for saving my brightest California Intern," Bruce mused and Eli quickly held up his hands.

"Whoa-I just did what I thought was right, that's all." Alexis blinked and smiled before giving a nod and the teen continued. "I already asked your dad to just keep me as a good Samaritan and that's it. And all I really came here to do is check up on you," he added and Bruce looked at him for a moment and smiled.

"Well it's good to see a few selfless people alive nowadays," he joked and Eli gave a weak smile while Alexis rolled her eyes.

"Two of them standing in this room you know." Both men looked at Alexis who gave them a large smile and a shake of her head. "You do a lot of good Mr. Wayne, no matter what the papers say," she pointed out.

Bruce paused and for a moment Eli wondered if perhaps Alexis knew something that he didn't. Only for the playboy to chuckle and rub his chin. "Saying that because you want to get my scholarship for the fourth time in a row or because you want to pitch a project to me, again?" he teased and Eli shook his head. _'Okay, definitely a bit of a playboy and not very tactful,' _the teen thought with a slight sigh in his mind.

"You know you only see who wins it Mr. Wayne, and you want me back on my feet and finishing my NRT," she pouted and Bruce just laughed.

"A little of both, well I won't keep you two from talking. I'll be in town for a bit longer on business, maybe you'll join me sometime Alex." The girl turned a little red and tried to throw her pillow at Bruce.

"That can be considered flirting and I'm under-aged!" Eli frowned a little but Bruce held up his hands and chuckled.

"I'm a playboy but I'm not that bad of a playboy," he replied and Alexis just huffed and stuck out her tongue. "Very mature," he mused.

"Pot calling the kettle black, boss." The millionaire chuckled and walked out of the room, leaving a completely confused and disturbed Eli and one huffing Alexis. "My boss can be a little self-absorbed but he's not too bad," she said and Eli slowly walked over to a chair while handing her the pillow.

"And the fact that he flirted doesn't bother you?" Eli asked, a little surprised.

Yet the girl just laughed and shook her head gently. "He wasn't serious and always calls me Alex when he's joking around. Besides, it's against company policy anyway, one of the first rules," she explained and turned to Eli. "Weird huh, a playboy who has a company policy against relationships in the workplace unless it's-" she started to continue but Eli held up a hand.

"I think I understand, a little bit. Though it's still a bit weird..." Alexis gave a nod before pausing to look Eli over.

"So... my dad said you were looking for a job, right?" Eli blinked and gave a slow nod while Alexis grinned in turn. "Kitten told me about what her dad offered, I think I have an idea that will work with it," she offered, pausing as Eli eyed her in confusion.

"Okay... this isn't just because I saved you, is it?" he asked.

"Kind of, but it's also that you keep on coming to see me," Alexis gently answered her expression grew rather soft. "Besides you, Kitten, Mr. Wayne, and my family no one else has really come to see me," she admitted and sighed sadly. "I don't really have any friends in the University, mostly because I'm barely sixteen and I still worry about being a teenager..." Eli frowned a little and couldn't help but see the way the girl slumped her shoulders.

She paused and weakly gave a hollow smile. "Kind of bad that it takes getting hospitalized to get some friends, huh?" she joked.

"I don't know about University and making friends there. I only went as far as community college," he replied and then paused and thought for a moment. "But, you've got Kitten already. I don't know much about her, but she respects privacy and that's something, and checked in on you so that's a good sign I think," he reasoned.

"I guess so, but, what about you? Can I call you a friend? Please?" Alexis asked and Eli stared for a moment. The paranoid voice in his head screamed no as he wasn't meant to stay long in San Francisco.

But the big brother and young man inside of him gave Eli a simple reminder. As much as he focused on his goals, he couldn't neglect the fact that even if he found his sister, there was only their aunt and uncle to return to. And frankly, being a loner by choice was depressing and left him with nothing but work and training.

Not to mention that he had to trust someone at some point to even start searching for his sister and give out his story. And the fact that he was pretty much alone in the city with only acquaintances didn't give him any comfort. Raven and Kitten were possibilities of friends, though neither was going to get all of his secrets immediately. Though Raven had a bit of a head-start due to his own bungling, she seemed to be a possible candidate as a friend by logic of not hounding him for information.

Eli came to a quick decision, seeing that frankly, the lack of any mention of him being at the Golden Gate indicated that Mr. Quart kept his word. And by extension, Eli could put a little faith in his daughter being the same. Mostly because he saved her greatest gift, which though a little dark as far as reasoning went, wasn't unsounded.

"Sure, we can be friends. Though that doesn't mean I'm letting you into a club, I think being a bouncer is getting a bit dangerous now," Eli stated, not about to mention the public attention part as Alexis broke out into a large grin.

"Yes! This is going to be so cool to have a friend who's a guy!" The teen blinked and felt his worry fade rather fast._'Genius or not, still a kid,' _he thought to himself. "Oh right, I almost forgot. Mr. Wayne is looking for security for WayneTech Research and Development- where I work, anyone willing really," she explained and Eli cocked an eyebrow up.

"Really?" He pushed away most of his suspicion namely as it only meant he wasn't just going to snatch up the job. But it was something, and it wouldn't be too much of a change.

"Yeah, I think he's a bit worried about the rest of the staff since Cinderblock attacked the Golden Gate while I was there," she reasoned and then smiled. "I know it's not a club, but you already got experience with it, kind of."

"True, I'll have to think about it and see if it'll interfere with being Kitten's bodyguard." Alexis gave an understanding nod, a little over anxious and smiled.

"Sure sure, it would be kind of cool to have a friend there, and I'll be working full time after finals and I graduate," Alexis blurted out and Eli couldn't help but chuckle at the girl's eagerness.

The teen paused for a moment, recalling the invitation from Raven to converse at the Black Knight Bookstore._'Don't really know when, but wouldn't hurt to check it out. And I need to call Mr. Walker anyway,' _he thought and slowly stood up.

"I better let you get your rest then and I've got some errands to run and a job to accept." He paused as Alexis frowned a little. It was a little heart-wrenching and he inwardly kicked himself a little. "Sorry for leaving all of a sudden, I just have a lot on my plate right now between job-hunting and actually socializing," he explained.

"Wait, you don't work right now?" The teen gently shook his head.

"Not yet, rent's not due for another week anyway," he replied and Alexis blinked before pouting.

"Go on, go on! California apartments are not cheap, and gas money isn't either, not like I can go anywhere for now," she added, surprising Eli at the girl's small change or rather quick realization.

"All right, I'll see you around then Alexis." The girl smiled and gave him a small peace sign.

He closed the door as he walked out and paused to think for a moment while walking. The teen honestly could not find much reason not to make some friends; saving up money took time and in all truth, Eli was starting to feel more alive than usual and not so stressed. _'Doesn't hurt to keep myself busy with making some friends instead of thinking about finding my sister all the time,' _he reasoned, not meaning any disrespect to his family.

It was simply healthier for him to make something more out of his life than merely brotherly duties. And of course, worrying about his powers being discovered by the media at large. Though it was mostly paranoia that spoke and with good reason considering his sister's disappearance and the appearance of his strange powers...

*** * * TT * * * **

_**Black Knight Bookstore**_

A shadow rose up from the rest in the alleyway beside the bookstore, and returned to the form of Raven finishing her shadow traveling. Raven immediately felt the familiar intense aura of Eli, only it came from inside the shop. Curious, she began walking around to the entrance while taking the chance to study Eli's mood. It was not an invasion of privacy in this case; Eli's aura was far more vibrant and on a higher intensity, and Raven actually was unsure that blocking it out was possible.

And secretly, she honestly felt a little bit comfortable around Eli because of it. It was the sense that she could actually feel his honesty and allowed her to have a little bit of trust in that single trait. Raven quietly noted the gentle state of his aura, pensive and contemplative at least it seemed like that. Her mentor had been the same way when pondering or meditating, though it was intriguing to Raven.

She still had little idea what Eli was though at least she could now draw some theories about his powers. The main theory was some sort of spirit physiology or incident that could have triggered a meta-human gene aligned towards ghosts. Though frankly it did not at all explain his electric powers or his aura.

Eli was actually looking over a book on the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology when a familiar presence caught his attention. The clearly magical aura that was somehow not quite truly magic. He blinked and quietly turned only to see Raven already walking through the doorway with the bell ringing softly above the door.

"Morning Rabe." Eli peered around the bookshelf to see the speaker.

A teenager looking about a year younger than Eli and a bit shorter than him came into view, sporting dirty blond hair and dark green eyes. He sported a simple wild smile on his face and strangely one of his canines was peeking out over his bottom lip as well as a pair of pale scars on his cheeks. The teen wore a gray shirt with purple letters on the front with black pants and a dark purple vest with the sleeves seemingly rolled up as well as a pair of Robin style boots only with jet black metal and fingerless gloves like Eli only with metal bands over the fingers and a dark green headband on.

Four small dog shaped toys hung from his belt which had a rather fierce looking three-headed dog buckle. The teen actually gave off a strange vibe similar to Raven's, but he kept the little detail to himself for the moment.

"I'm fine Kamin," Raven replied respectfully. "Has a young man already entered?" she questioned, already pinpointing Eli's position mentally.

"Yep, just came in a half an hour ago, friend of yours?" the teen asked in a surprising German accent. Eli cocked an eyebrow up for a moment but said nothing as he had no room to judge.

"Acquaintance, is the second floor available?" asked Raven as the teen gave a simple full grin, revealing that all four of his canine teeth were surprisingly sharp like an animal's. _'Meta-human maybe?_' Eli wondered, not catching Raven's slight glance in his direction at the shift in his aura.

"You bet, just make sure he buys something, this store ain't cheap you know," Kamin chuckled, turning around and walking into a back-room, leaving Raven to quietly smirk only a little.

Eli mentally made a note to check out a few books to at least provide Kamin with business while the sorceress calmly walked over to the small staircase. The bookstore itself was very reminiscent of an older European store than an American one; shelves lined the walls filled with various books with the first floor holding newer releases in thick hardbound form and the second held older ones. It was actually rather cozy and comforting to Raven, reminding her of the libraries of Azarath.

The second floor held a small coffee table with coasters in place and had several bookcases at the back yet the immediate area adjacent to the winding staircase had a few chairs situated around the coffee-table. Two rooms were off to Raven's left for more books while the other corners had chairs for people to sit in.

She was not at all surprised to see Eli sitting in a chair, vest hanging on the back of the chair and cap resting on the end of the arm. Though she did take note of his already common Celtic influence to his clothes and took the chance to study the book he was reading. _'A translation of the Ulster Cycle stories, not too surprising,' _she thought and quickly glanced at the shelves, already honing in on a particularly old copy of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Eli looked over the edge of his book to see Raven silently slipping into the seat across from him. He didn't bother panicking and instead watched Raven, wondering if she was going to confront him now or not. _'Problem is I don't feel very comfortable telling her what little I know about my powers. She's seen all of them anyway, all that I know of at least,' _he added on a final note before sighing and gently closed his book. The teen was not one to mess around with situations and preferred getting to the point over tact. And also to at least figure out if she was just curious about his powers or actually curious about him as a whole.

"You didn't tell your friends about me, fhiagh?" This time his accent was actually let out and Raven quietly set her book down in her lap. _'Subtle he is not,' _she quipped but kept the thought to herself.

"About what part exactly, Wisp?" Raven calmly asked without batting an eye.

"Everything, I guess I can't really keep much from an empathic," Eli sighed and rubbed his head while the aura he held seemed to grow a bit bleak and self-disappointed.

"Not many could," she remarked. Not to cheer him up but merely to state the facts and Raven paused and added. "It would be difficult for you to hide your aura from anyone that can sense it. It's unusually strong," she stated and watched as Eli gave a dry smile.

"I'm anything but normal. And since no one else is here, I guess they don't know," Raven merely gave a small nod and Eli relaxed a little. "Kind of a relief, no offense but the media are like bloodhounds for anyone out of the normal for them, especially anything superhero or villain related," he added, causing Raven to actually let out a flat sigh.

"Beast Boy tends to enjoy the limelight, I prefer to simply protect this city and be left alone when I wish to be." Eli sat up and his dry smile slipped into a gentle expression of both respect and acknowledgement.

"Same except for the city part," he said only for Raven to cock an eyebrow.

"You did help us with Mad Mod, and you protected Kitten and Alexis at your own risk." She paused for a moment and gently furrowed her brow. "Even normal people rarely do that on their own," the sorceress finished and watched.

The statement was true on both accounts as Kitten helping Alexis wasn't an argument; she wasn't normal if her father was any indication. Though Eli did have to admit, it felt wrong not to do anything and said so. "I was raised to do what I felt was right, sometimes forgetting the consequences too," he added though Raven could only look at him with questioning.

"What would be the consequence of going out again as Wisp?" That was a question Eli couldn't really answer directly; it involved his own secret and his past to do so. Luckily, Raven picked up on his turmoil and unease and gently frowned but said nothing.

"Mostly, personal stuff and my secret. I don't have any problems with protecting people but right now I have a lot to worry about on top of being found out by the public. Feck, I still don't know what else I can do anyway," Eli explained, sighing and rubbing his head. "I didn't even know someone could detect me either. Never happened before," he added and closed his eyes.

"I believe I can understand personal secrets. Though I am not the one to talk to really about if you want to carry this further." Raven did not add that she was the worst choice for that kind of advice considering her demonic heritage always reminding herself of Trigon's blood in her veins. She had no real answer to his detection thought, it frankly mystified her that someone could even turn incorporeal like that.

"Well, it's not really about doing it or not. I won't stand by if I can help out, but I've always concerned myself with protecting people, just people." The statement reminded Raven of how Eli had protected her with his body and also Alexis and Kitten. It wasn't the physical or emotional sense, it was more who was actually within range of Eli that needed protection.

"It is a great deal of responsibility and you seem to have your share from work already," Raven noted and Eli shrugged a little.

"In a way, still not very happy about the Golden Gate business. Though, I do have two possible jobs now, anyway," Eli paused and thought for a moment, unable to hold his curiosity back. "Where do we go from here-I'm wondering if you just want to talk to me because of my powers or because of well, me. I know I'm being a bit too blunt but it's bugging me and a little nerve-wracking," he added though Raven wasn't too surprised.

The question was one she wanted to answer herself. On one hand, she was slowly getting to know Eli and frankly how he was while underneath a hood was mostly an act as far as temperament could go. The other hand though held the fact that Eli was an unknown beyond the fact he had powers. How they came to be were unknown but also private though at the same time, she could at least admit his presence was one she didn't mind and actually preferred as it was honest.

_'I would like someone else to talk to. And hopefully, someone who is not too nervous about magic. There is no harm right now,' _she reasoned and thought for a moment, actually closing her eyes. Though Robin was still wondering who Wisp was, the teen had fallen to the side with a lack of a second appearance. While it nagged the Boy Wonder, Eli's lack of activity frankly gave them little reason to openly look for him or do much besides check the reports every night and that was it. _'He's just someone similar to me, enough that I can talk to,' _Raven concluded and slowly opened her eyes to find Eli anxiously studying her.

"Both. I don't really know what you are or much of who you are, for now," Raven added and quietly paused to note Eli's aura didn't change much. "You can at least hold a conversation with me, without calling me a witch or a freak," she flatly stated and Eli frowned a little.

"I'd be the pot calling the kettle black now that you know about it and frankly, I don't have problems with the people who use magic. It's magic that I'm not very comfortable with, and I don't know why," Eli explained, and Raven actually relaxed and gave him a nod.

"Understandable, there is dark magic as much as there is light magic. It depends on the user if it is evil, or good, but magic itself is only a force as far as I know it," she admitted, watching as Eli tilted his head and then slowly gave a little smile. Yet just enough to show his dimple that Raven couldn't help but hone in on, it gave Eli a little bit of charm.

"That I'll agree to. Hell, it's just a matter of choice, no matter what some people may say." Raven actually felt her opinion of Eli grow. Though clearly no mage, the way he talked spoke of spirituality or at least, it felt like that to Raven. "So then, how about we do a proper introduction, as friends," he suggested only for Raven to flinch a little.

She didn't want to say an outright blunt no; Eli was a possibility yet she was not one to easily trust someone. Saying he was a friend would be a bit too much and Eli seemed to dimly realize it. There was a chance yes, but she needed to know him better over time, and gradually it could happen though only when she decided.

"I'd feel better with acquaintances. I still don't know much about you besides that you are from Dublin, have some sort of spirit based abilities, work as a bouncer, and some of your personality," Eli paused for a moment, frowning a little. He wasn't expecting a quick breakdown of what she knew of him. "I can trust you a little but I need time to make sure I should," she softly added.

"...Feels a little strange, you know nearly as much as three other people, that's including Alexis," Raven grimaced as it was true; in fact, she probably was second only to his family in terms of knowledge. "Well, I guess five. Kitten is going to find out sooner or later, and her dad isn't stupid," he admitted as Raven frowned.

"A super-villain and his daughter shouldn't be two people that know what you can do," Raven pointed out.

"If you can even really call him a super-villain. Aside from small failed heists in Gotham while looking like a skinny twig and threatening the city once in his time being here, has the guy really made himself out as a super-villain, like say Mad Mod?" Eli questioned, honestly just wanting to know her definition. He didn't trust Killer Moth and Kitten, but he wasn't about to ignore the facts that he could see.

"Mad Mod has tried at least two times to take over the city, not the best example," countered Raven and frowned.

"What about this then? He's been here for so long and looks like a bigger threat than he did back in Gotham, yet Batman hasn't pulled him back at all and Killer Moth hasn't gone back there either. The fact that he's pretty much only given Kitten advice and they have never pulled off any crimes together right now tells me they'd be one of the safest people to find out if they just want the same I thing do; some privacy and a chance to live my life without being watched," Eli finished, managing to at least keep his voice down enough to avoid shouting.

The last of his words echoed in Raven's ears as she thought for a moment. It was true, if Killer Moth were a true threat on the Gotham scale, then Robin would have taken him down hard. Not to mention that if Batman was Killer Moths' enemy and yet never picked him up, there was a good reason why. _'He's right about those two. But, there is her outburst-and yet she was at the club but never approached Robin or Starfire, even before the attack,' _she mulled it over before softly frowning and shaking her head.

"Perhaps, but are you actually comfortable letting them know about your powers?" Raven asked and Eli deadpanned swiftly.

"Of course not. The thing is, I've been keeping it under wraps for two years, and it's been bugging me every day and already you know about them," Eli paused before letting out a soft sigh. "I do realize one thing, it's going to come out sooner or later. At least if it's just a few people I know, maybe they'll understand why as they get to know me," he admitted and Raven stared at how human Eli seemed, despite the fact he had ghostly powers.

"Even though it's an ex-Gotham criminal," she could not help but point out, wondering if he was going to see reason or not.

"You admit that he's an ex-Gotham, which is a good thing. Didn't even mention it either when I was over there or ask how I did it." The statement threw Raven for a loop and she softly let out an exasperated sigh. His aura didn't waver either; it radiated confidence and assurance that outweighed the traces of fear.

"I should add stubborn to your list of traits and headstrong," Raven deadpanned, and Eli merely smiled.

"Not like I want to blurt it out to them," Eli chuckled and quietly stopped when Raven glared at him sharply. "Sorry fhiagh, too blunt." She merely rolled her eyes, giving him an unspoken 'you think?'

The two took a moment to mull over their conversation before Raven decided to bring up the guilt-fueled admittance. "I'm not a people person, the only friends I have are on my team. No one else," she stated and Eli actually frowned gently, and Raven tried to shut out the sympathy coming from him.

"Hey, I only made a new friend today so we're in the same boat fhiagh. We can say acquaintances then friends when you feel comfortable with it." Raven blinked, surprised at the offer as Eli continued. "And I honestly feel a lot less stressed now since you know my first big secret," he admitted and Raven blinked.

"First?" she parroted, confused.

"The other is too personal, too close to home," Eli said as he became serious and solemn. _'Just like my own secret,' _Raven thought sadly.

"I can be comfortable as acquaintances," she put away her thoughts of Eli's unknown abilities and their origins. _'I'd rather not let on that I have an acquaintance either to the others. Robin isn't dumb, he may figure it out if he knows this nickname Eli has for me,' _she added.

"All right, acquaintances and we can try to meet here sometime." Raven gave a simple nod, accepting the terms.

She paused and quietly decided to ask the question now. "Why do you call me fhiagh, instead of Raven?" she asked.

"Because you're like one, mysterious, dark, but also beautiful," Eli replied encouragingly with a cheerful tone and a smile at Raven. Right as his aura brimmed with a mixture of honesty and small affection.

And immediately Raven felt heat rush to her cheeks and suddenly their books shot up via black sparks into the ceiling with a loud crash and fell with an even louder boom. Despite the outburst of emotion and energy, Raven's face did not lose the small pink blush present. Eli looked from the books to Raven, confused by the outburst right before his cell-phone rang and Raven's communicator went off. The two teens quickly answered, and Eli managed to hide his own light blush from giving her the compliment while they answered their respective device.

_"Kitten is going out to a club tonight, are you available Eli?" _Killer Moth asked while Raven looked at the screen to see Robin.

"We have trouble downtown, I'm sending over the coordinates," the Boy Wonder explained and Raven gave a small nod, though sadly Robin still caught sight of her blush. "Is everything alright Raven?" he asked, raising an eyebrow above his domino mask.

"I'm fine, I'll meet you there," she curtly replied and ended the call. _'If he mentions it to Cyborg and Beast Boy, I'll kill him,' _she thought, glancing at Eli to find him holding his cell to his ear.

"I'm available, did she get the mask made like I asked sir?" Eli questioned, and Raven merely raised an eyebrow.

_"I took the liberty of touching up some old goggles I had. Last thing either of us wants, people asking questions about who my daughter's bodyguard is and where I hired you,_" Killer Moth replied and Eli smiled at the man's logic and intelligence. _'Amen to that, last thing I want is Cyborg or Robin seeing my face,' _he thought and nodded.

"All right, thank you sir, I'll be over at five after I change clothes," Eli stated and calmly hung up before looking to Raven.

The sorceress didn't make a remark about the mask for the obvious reason. Eli had a job to do and frankly it allowed him the freedom of using his powers without risking his identity and only she would know it was him. It was a strange thought yet Raven had no trouble with keeping his identity as Wisp secret without being asked. He was, in a sense, trusting her to keep it safe and she wasn't about to betray the unspoken trust put in her.

Eli quietly slipped his cell phone away and pulled on his vest and cap. "Well, sounds like we've got jobs to do," he noted and Raven merely gave a nod before the two descended down the staircase. "Kick a little ass for me if you could please," he added with a small playful smirk.

"If they have one," Raven replied with a small smirk of her own and her fading pink blush.

"Thanks, take care of yourself fhiagh- and here," he slipped out his wallet and used the back of a small card to write down his cell phone number before handing it over. "So we can meet up easier," Eli explained as Raven slowly, actually shyly, accepted the card.

"Thank you." The little gesture was actually more than she expected and watched as Eli left the bookstore, hopped onto his Nighthawk and put on the helmet before driving off. Slowly Raven lowered her gaze down to the small business card and quietly stared at it with her pink blush returning full force.

_'He's blunt, strange, and seems to be understanding of people. And a little too friendly,' _she added yet could not put down her blush. The image of his smile and the way his aura reflected it was imprinted into Raven's mind. In short, she could actually see his soul smiling at her in a manner of speaking and tucked the card away into her communicator for later.

Raven pushed the thoughts and images down into the back of her mind, softly chanting in the process and quietly walked out of the bookstore. The thoughts of Eli and the new questions and opinions she had of him could wait. Right now there was a city to protect and hopefully, she could figure out what to make of Eli giving out his cell phone number to her. Mainly as it would mean something special if she were a normal girl...

*** * * TT * * * **

_**Unknown Location**_

The familiar form of a blue-eyed teenage girl stared at the screens before her, studying them carefully. Her gaze flickered over them before she tapped a key and they changed to show the image of the Walker Residence as well as the Hospital, and Eli and Kitten at both areas. She smiled for a moment before tapping a few keys and the video of Eli protecting Kitten and Alexis appeared as a still image above the first two images.

There was no video clip of Eli using any powers, yet the girl didn't seem the slightest bit deterred. Instead, she merely leaned back into the chair and calmly locked her fingers together. "Madam, I have finished compiling the list of bouncers at the Golden Gate that night, only one stands out over the rest as it was the first night they were working," the aged man informed as he stepped out of the shadows. "And I took the liberty of cross-checking to see if they have ever worked at any other building before," he added.

"And what have you found, Wintergreen?" the girl asked, keeping herself composed.

"The only new face that night is a new arrival to this city, male, and uses the handle Setanta," the girl smiled slowly and eyed the picture calmly. "It is very likely that the young man who has recently shown up at the hospital and near the Walkers is Setanta unmasked," he added.

"I want to be sure first before I make any assumptions, Wintergreen. Use Cheshire to monitor Ms. Quart and the cameras to monitor Ms. Walker, I want evidence that it is in fact our mysterious guardian angel," she stated, standing up and quietly studied the screens. Wintergreen gave a polite bow before leaving the room, allowing the girl to be alone with her thoughts. "Setanta, and interesting name to choose. Perhaps you will become a hero like your namesake, or a villain," she mused ominously before smirking darkly as she lowered her gaze to the single screen that showed no video link on it.

Only a single wicked S over an orange and black circle that covered a single word in dark green.

* * *

So much to do, so much to explain, so much to wonder.

Reviews are deeply appreciated, flames will be analyzed and stored for winter use. Either way, please kindly submit a review.

**Konpeki Rei**


	7. The Bodyguard

**AN: **Not quite a weekly update or a monthly, but this is due to my own progress in this story. I'm getting caught up in chapter work and I'm ironing out the rest of the plot for this story. Thankfully, I know where I'm going with this and also got some detailed background and plot work taken care of so there won't be any surprises while I'm writing.

Digressing, many thanks towards my beta-reader n00dl3gal for her excellent work and patience in listening to my plot spiels and the like! And of course, the reviewers; my beta-reader, Whisper Dark Rose, Shadowsplosion, and PurpleStarsGreenFire! Your reviews are greatly appreciated and I am always happy to hear critiques as well as support. Thank you all, I do hope everyone continues to enjoy this story!

**Disclaimer:** I own no franchise, only my characters which I have created. Please enjoy the newest chapter! Things are going to get interesting.**  
**

_Italics with 'dialogue' _are thoughts  
_Italics with "dialogue" _is speech through phones/communicators

**Chapter 7: The Bodyguard**

*** * * TT * * ***

**Downtown San Francisco**

Eli peered out from underneath his hood while blending in with the shadows. His eyes darted around from person to person before focusing on Kitten who was chatting up a few girls she met. The girl glanced at him for a moment, only to confirm that he was there and he merely pointed to a non-existent watch. She let out a small groan before nodding and turned to her friends.

"Sorry girls, time for this Kitten to get home before the crazies come around," Kitten explained, inwardly pouting. 'At least Daddy's letting me go out still, and doesn't hurt to have an ex-boyfriend wall,' she smirked.

"Already? So lame, Kitten," the other blonde scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, it's just getting started around here!" the brunette pointed out.

"I'm with Kitten, I need to head home or my parents will ground me." The other two stared at them and looked down from their noses. "Besides, don't you remember what happened at the Golden Gate?" she asked nervously and the two girls blinked and frowned.

"They had the Teen Titans show up, like a villain is going to come here where they aren't," the brunette huffed.

Kitten snorted and shook her head, unable to fathom how someone could be too carefree. _'Doesn't mean they won't come when a club is hit. And it's never happened before, until the Golden Gate,'_ she added inwardly and looked to find Eli already approaching her. Immediately the three other girls perked up as the Celtic teen came into view, moving like a shadow through the crowd with practiced ease and an almost smoke-like grace.

The teen was dressed in his Wisp uniform, only the silver had been turned to a steel gray color, making it difficult to see yet maintained the dark theme. In fact it looked far more menacing as the light flickered over the steel gray pieces to Eli's outfit, almost as if it was melting in and out of sight. However, his gloves were no longer fingerless and had black cloth covering the fingers. The new addition was a single black mask worn over the face with two gray stripes on the cheeks and a pair of gray lens goggles on with his black hair visible but not his eyes.

It was a darker ensemble that only required some dyeing to achieve and it was far less likely to stick out than before. Only trained eyes could make out the designs and Eli knew for a fact that Kitten chose a club that the Titans never went to before.

"We need to get going Ms. Walker," Eli stated, keeping his accent down so only a minimal bit got through.

"Whoa, did you get a new boyfriend Kitten?" the redhead asked, blinking at Eli.

"Or a creepy stalker," the short blond murmured yet Kitten just smiled sweetly at the trio.

"Daddy called in a favor from someone he works with and they sent over a private security officer," she lied smoothly which Eli had to give her credit for. _'Smooth, very smooth. Better than saying an old friend, now I won't have to worry about many questions myself,'_ he thought, glancing at the girls who tried to peer into his hood only to find the mask blocking them.

"Lucky, but why the mask?" asked the curious red-head.

"Requirement for all security officers," Eli stated and paused to glance at the dance floor as he heard panicked voices. The teen quickly turned only to spot four large dark brown spider legs and quickly traced them to their source and found himself a little shocked.

An actual spider's body was connected to them, but what drew Eli's attention was the human body that the spider was attached to. Literally attached, as if the spider's body was actually the person's head, and obviously that was the case as Eli noticed the moving hands and feet pushing people that were too slow to move out of the way. The human body itself wasn't scrawny and looked rather fit, wearing a white t-shirt underneath a black jacket along with jeans and black shoes, looking like a motorcycle punk.

Eli quickly nudged Kitten while the three girls huddled together for safety as the spider-mutant was walking towards them. The spoiled blonde glanced at the spider only to grimace and chew her lip in obvious discomfort while Eli slowly began drawing on his ectoplasm so his arms had sparks hidden underneath the sleeve.

"Kitten, babe, funny seeing you around here," the spider-mutant said with what Eli assumed was meant to be a smile but with his mandibles and fangs, it looked grotesque.

"It's nice to see you Fang but daddy wants me home soon," Kitten said, not even batting an eye at the now-named Fang.

"What? You're actually listening to your old man?" he asked incredulously.

"When he's actually concerned about me and is letting me do what I want without getting arrested, yes," countered Kitten and Fang frowned.

Eli glanced from one to the other before slowly taking a small step forward. "And who's this loser hanging around you?" Fang snarled, glaring at Eli.

"Wisp, Ms. Walker's bodyguard," Eli replied flatly, channeling a bit of Raven's flatness to piss off Fang with success.

"Bodyguard- she doesn't need a bodyguard while I'm around," he warned and Kitten frowned.

"Fang, I don't have time for this," warned Kitten only for the metahuman to growl.

"Come on babe, I came all the way out here to see you," Eli glanced at Kitten's watch for a moment before looking at a chair and twitching.

"I'm not touched Fang, we broke up five months ago, get over it." Yet the metahuman just moved in closer to Kitten who glared him down with a lot more courage than Eli believed she might have.

He frowned and without warning turned incorporeal, passing straight through Kitten before reappearing between the two. Only Eli was floating a solid foot off the ground and right in front of Fang's face.

"Back off spider-boy, that's the only warning I'm giving you," Eli growled and Kitten quickly backed up and glanced around while her friends gawked in shock.

"Or what ghost boy?" Fang hissed, fangs dripping with venom.

With physical fluidity, Eli dropped to the ground and launched his foot straight up into Fang's mouth with a sharp smack. The Celt took the chance while Fang was recoiling from the powerful kick to pull up using his flight ability to aid in the motion and punched Fang hard in the gut. Air and a bit of spit flew out of his mouth though much to Eli's surprise, Fang recovered swiftly and kicked Eli hard in the face.

The goggles held though Fang still staggered a bit while Eli quickly shook off the pain and pressed forward. Everyone quickly gave them a wide berth much to Fang's advantage as he deftly pulled himself up via his spider legs as Eli's crescent kick flew through empty air. He didn't stop there and quickly flew up while performing a flip, avoiding Fang's own sharp kick, who was using his legs as anchors.

Eli treated the air like a solid platform as Fang looked up and the Celt struck like lightning. Thankfully the position gave Eli the chance to use more strength resulting in a stronger kick that actually felt as if it was digging into Fang's head. The blow made the metahuman recoil and grabbed at his faced with his human hands in pain, feeling as if his non-existent skull was nearly caved in.

He was unprepared for Eli to rocket around him, slipping behind Fang due to the dark clothing making it difficult to see him and the lack of lights on him. The teen could already see that a continued fight would be difficult as everyone was either trying to close in or give them space. With only his agility and flight and strength, Eli knew that a prolonged fight was only going to be hectic.

And was proven correct as Fang managed to spot him and lashed out using his hind legs. Eli ducked the first two swipes and then was smacked by all four when Fang whipped around, sending Eli flying literally. The teen smacked into a ceiling support beam painfully but managed to grab onto it and then take off, avoiding a strange purple shot of venom that narrowly missing him. He frowned as Fang ascended by using his spider legs, though left his human body hanging from the spider head.

Eli took aim as Fang fired again, weaving around the venom before rocketing towards him, fist crackling with black electricity. It took only a second to reach Fang but the spider-hybrid actually pulled his human half up to narrowly avoid the strike. And promptly countered by bringing his feet down hard on Eli's back, knocking him to the floor with a loud crash. The blow was enough to catch him by surprise as well as Fang's surprising agility despite his large form and the impact knocked Eli into reality.

He forced the thought to turn incorporeal away, clenching both fists and instead pulled himself up. At the same time Fang hopped off the support beams his legs were on and fell straight on Eli in a surprising full body stomp. Eli crisscrossed both arms while subconsciously energizing the ectoplasm within the limbs to their maximum as he braced himself as hard steel soled boots crashed into his arms.

Pain shot down the arms even with the energized arms not budging underneath Fang's heavy weight. Eli could feel his arms stinging from the impact and looked up to see a surprised Fang looking down at him. Only for a second which gave Eli enough time to quickly summon a single burst of electricity and release it from his arms. The sudden shock knocked Fang off towards the high clearance ceiling and swiftly Eli followed after uncrossing his arms, ignoring the flash of a camera-phone and the current risk he was taking.

The only thought Eli had at the moment was knocking out the current angry ex-boyfriend of Kitten. He had every suspicion that the purple venom was dangerous and there was no telling what kind of effect it would have on Eli. Worse yet was the fact that a miss could hit anyone in the club, even Kitten and that was not something Eli wanted to risk._ 'I have to keep this fight up-close and personal. A solid shock to his head should work,'_ he thought, already reaching a beam as Fang managed to recover. The metahuman quickly used all four nimble arachnid legs to stop himself, and shockingly fired a single silk-glob at Eli.

Yet the Celt quickly dodged and began zigzagging madly from support beam to support beam. The low lighting played to their mutual disadvantage as Eli had to employ his complete flight dexterity to turn and bolt on a dime, dodging as many shots of both webbing and venom alike. Fang didn't let up either nor did he stay still, using his own impressive acrobatics as an arachnid mutant to move to a clearer space in the network of support beams for the ceiling.

Suddenly though, Fang pulled his human half up in front of Eli, launching a feint towards the Celt's stomach and head. The fists came in fast but Eli was faster, catching the fists in mid-strike and swiftly without crossing his arms. He pulled Fang's arms apart from each other giving the Celt a solid shot via his knee into Fang's mouth, using a black spark for extra power. The combination was effective as Fang felt stars rattle around his head and Eli followed up by with a vicious downward heel kick while releasing Fang's hands.

Fang started to fall only to catch himself using the arachnid legs as support. The sudden recovery surprised Eli and left him an open target. Two streams of purple venom streaked towards him, missing as the teen pulled back. Sadly it was the wrong move as Fang was already upon him, with a sharp kick to the chest followed by the tips of the front legs lancing out like blunt spears. All three hits stung and Eli felt his back smash painfully into a primary support beam, sending sparks of agony throughout the back upon impact.

Both teens could hear the gasps of the crowd when the sound of Eli colliding with the steel beam rang out through the club. Fang smirked and grabbed Eli's collar, lifting him up off his feet without the aid of flight.

"What are you supposed to be anyway? Some kind of flying spark plug?" Fang taunted, smirking as he began drawing venom to his mouth.

"No," Eli growled and latched his hands onto Fang's wrists. He didn't even bother building up and simply summoned as much electricity as possible in a powerful twin spark.

Fang's world turned to agonizing pain as the shock overwhelmed him, coursing throughout both bodies. The arachnid mutant had never felt such a shock in his entire life, and Eli took the chance to release the staggered and stunned Fang. He only cocked his arm back before driving a fist right into what he presumed was Fang's forehead with the force of a tank shell. Everyone gasped as Fang flew off and crashed in a beam head first, lightly denting it before falling in an unconscious heap to the floor.

Eli panted and ignored trying to catch Fang, not really giving much of a damn for the rather difficult ex-boyfriend of Kitten's. Instead he concerned himself with the large crowd below as well as various camera-phones and normal phones out and pictures snapped away. Only Kitten seemed to be truly dumbstruck, looking slowly from Eli to her currently unconscious irritation of an ex. 'I have bad luck when it comes to trying to hold back,' he noted, feeling too injured to worry and more relieved that Fang was finally knocked out.

The small flashes didn't even reach Eli until he dropped down from the rafters and landed easily. In truth his body felt like it was on fire and hot oil was in every single fiber of his muscles, not to mention the pain of his no doubt bruised back. Eli slowly looked around and noticed that his hood had fallen back in the fight and swiftly pulled it back up._ 'If this happened five days ago, I would be taking off like an idiot. But eventually I'll have to reveal these powers, especially if I want to take care of my sister after I find her. At least I have some control over who knows,'_ he thought and inwardly grimaced. Raven was someone he could trust to keep a secret, the Walkers were another matter entirely to deal with.

However, it didn't change the fact that he was still Kitten's bodyguard. The bright side to wearing his now old bouncer uniform was that only the Titans could recognize it and more importantly him. They would obviously know him as Wisp, only now they could be given a story that he was a super-powered bodyguard. It was a rather shoddy and frankly a corny idea but it was the best Eli could come up with that suited the situation right now. Though it did nothing to kill Eli's unease about the questions from Kitten and her dad that were going to come, or any other potential backlash.

"We still need to get going, Ms. Walker," Eli stated in a professional tone with minimal accent and grimacing at his injured but intact body.

Kitten could only stared, briefly dumbstruck before snapping herself out of her trance. '_So that's how he reached me so fast, he's a metahuman,'_ she concluded, before quickly smiling at the whispers and glances of attention. As much as Kitten wanted to enjoy the spotlight, she recited her father's third rule to herself. _'Don't stir up too much attention, or you'll get taken down that much harder. And we did come from Gotham too,_' Kitten added with a grimace and quickly made her way through the crowd.

It wasn't at all difficult as everyone was giving her a wide berth while Eli shadowed her like a stormy wraithe of darkness. The Celt knew the ride home was going to be awkward on Kitten's Vespa though Eli was more focused on what the Titans were going to think. Actually, Eli was a little worried about what the backlash might be from his friend, client and boss, and his acquaintance.

_'Hindsight can kiss my feckin' arse,'_ he thought and pulled his repainted and touched up helmet on.

*** * * TT * * ***

**Walker Residence**

Eli closed the door and found Kitten staring him down. The teen quietly slipped off his helmet followed by hood and mask, removing his jacket and grimacing at the bruises. _'He may not be as strong as me, but that spider-nut still packs a punch,'_ he thought while Kitten removed her jacket and locked the door. Fear didn't even show it's face in Eli's mind as Kitten looked him over before giving, to his surprise, a small smirk.

"I knew there was something about you that's different, you're a metahuman," Kitten said only for Eli to frown.

"I'm not a meta, and it would have been nice to know about your," Eli replied in a low growl. It was by no means an easy fight, despite what the club crowd might have thought.

"You beat him anyway, and it's not like I was expecting him to show up," argued Kitten with a huff and quickly scowled. "How do you know anyway? Did you see a doctor already or a biologist?' she questioned.

"Nora oh Batty, no! The last thing I need is for any doctor to know about my powers," he cursed, already removing his jacket and shirt to reveal bruises on his chest and arms.

The next round of argument died as Kitten stared at the injuries and surprised Eli by running to the kitchen. "DADDY!" Eli jumped and immediately slipped into his own personalized stance, arms up like a boxer but kept close to his chest and face as a guard.

"What is it?" Killer Moth actually flew straight out of his basement and into the living room only to spot Eli. "What in the hell happened to you?" he questioned while lowering himself to the ground.

"Your daughter's ex, Fang," Eli deadpanned and the large bioengineer let out a low groan and an angry click of his teeth.

"I knew that arachnid was trouble, where is he?" Killer Moth snarled, and Eli could tell why the man gave himself such a name.

He looked pissed and frankly ready to actually commit murder. And that was with his moth features making it difficult to express much in a sense. _'And he's not exactly hurting for muscle,_' Eli added while estimating the size of Killer Moth's muscles to be on par with a NFL fullback.

"Knocked out and hopefully in jail," Eli's reply actually surprised Killer Moth who was angrily buzzing.

"After Settie here shocked him, literally, and beat the shit out of Fang," added Kitten, already walking back in from the kitchen. Only now she was carrying a large and rather impressive first-aid kit that looked like it was military grade or at least, close to it.

"Shocked him? With what, a taser rifle?" Killer Moth questioned and eyed the teen who found himself surprisingly manhandled onto the couch.

"Easy there, I can heal well en-FUCK!" Eli blurted as a cotton swab covered in alcohol was pushed into a particularly large bruise. "It's just a bruise, he didn't hit me that hard!" he spat out, hissing.

"I know what Fang can do, I dated him after all," Kitten countered though Eli noticed her father's eyebrow twitching violently at the remark.

"Would someone mind telling me what the hell happened tonight?" Both teens paused and exchanged glances before Eli sighed and grimaced. _'Might as well, he is the man signing my paycheck after all,'_ he thought and frowned.

"Fine... her ex-boyfriend showed up and sounded like he was trying to get back together with her," Eli stated flatly while Kitten merely grimaced but gave a nod of agreement and confirmation. "He was about a good few words from either slapping her or grabbing her, and I stepped in."

The teen paused to slink away from Kitten who had taken the chance to get a quick feel of his abdominal muscles. And Eli was something for her to look at as far as being physically fit was concerned and not too bad on the eyes sans his pale skin.

"And we fought until I could knock him out, and no one seemed to follow us back either," he added and Killer Moth gave a small nod of approval. _'For once I'm not completely blind to hindsight,'_ he mused before hissing again and let out a quick curse from under his breath when Kitten touched the large bruise on his back. "Watch it! I'm not superhuman you know," he warned, grimacing as the pain was going to be irritating when he went to sleep.

"But you are paid eye-candy," she replied to the Celt's irritation.

"No, he's your paid bodyguard," Killer Moth stated, secretly slipping a small needle out of his coat pocket. "Let me see these bruises of yours. Did anyone catch you two on a camera of any sort?" he questioned while looking over Eli, noting the solid bruises as well as his busted lip.

"Mostly focused on me as far as I can tell," replied Eli before both men glanced at Kitten who rolled her eyes at the pair.

"They only cared about Settie's fight with Fang, but I had to give my friends a story about him anyway," she stated and calmly tucked one leg behind the other, distracting Eli as her father silently pricked one of Eli's bruises and withdrew a little blood.

"Ouch! What the hell was that, a needle or something?" he questioned only to see his employer holding up the object in question. The teen grimaced and took a moment to compose himself before fixing the large bioengineer with a glare.

Yet he merely gave Eli a flat look in turn and capped the needle. "Yes, and I'd like to know just how you did whatever you did in the first place," he countered yet Eli merely sat up and clenched his fists.

"Says the bioengineer, I'd like to know what you plan to do with my blood," Kitten merely sat up and packed the first aid kit up before carrying it off into the kitchen, leaving Eli alone with her father. "And it's a bit difficult not to feed my paranoia when I'm talking to a genetically altered man, no offense."

"None taken, I'd fire you if I thought you only had half a brain," Killer Moth replied and looked at the vial of blood, studying it carefully.

"Fair enough, so what are you going to do with it?" Eli questioned, silently slipping his shirt back on along with his jacket and helmet.

"Analyze it. You may find it hard to believe, but I don't plan on endangering my daughter's life in any way possible," the father of one stated, clicking his teeth in the process and narrowed his large moth eyes. "And I want to make sure her bodyguard isn't a ticking unstable bomb of genetics."

"That's a beautiful image I'll sleep well on," Eli sarcastically quipped before taking a moment to pause as he studied the man's body language and relaxed slowly. "She means that much to you, doesn't she?"

"More than anyone in this city realizes," came the reply. Eli took a moment to double-check Killer Moth before slowly nodding with a heavy acceptance.

He didn't like the idea of leaving his blood sample to a semi-villain but as it stood, that was the only real problem he had. _'No real telling if someone with his intelligence can even figure out where my powers come from or how to even copy it,'_ he thought, before sighing inwardly. The one other fact still stood; he was Kitten's bodyguard and frankly trusted with the girl's well being and safety.

And above all else, Eli could feel just how much the man cared for his daughter's well-being. As much as he did for his own baby sister. "Then I can trust you with my blood, better you than any doctor in a hospital," he realized with a heavy sigh.

"And this way, neither one us has to worry about a paper trail on your bloodwork and who I've hired to protect my daughter." Eli blinked and gave a firm nod of agreement. He turned to see Kitten walking back in with her cell phone in hand and a groan on her lips.

"You better get going, I've already got a few calls from friends about what happened," she warned causing the Celt to nod and slip his visor down. "You'll have to fly home, can you do it without being seen?"

Eli merely gave a small smirk behind his helmet before turning completely incorporeal, leaving only his blood sample in Killer Moth's hand as a trace. "You have no idea," he said and silently took off like a rocket, leaving the two to stare at the space where Eli had been.

Killer Moth blinked before shaking his head and walked right down to his laboratory. "This is going to be a long night," he mused while the fireplace dropped down to hide the entrance to the laboratory.

Kitten merely blinked and broke out into a large grin before hanging up on her phone and quickly dialed a new number._ 'Looks like I owe my friend lunch, perfect,'_ she giggled to herself.

*** * * TT * * ***

Eli hummed to himself as he walked down the street, actually feeling a bit comfortable despite his blood sample in Killer Moth's hand. It was already Tuesday and he had spent Monday actually hitting up a gym for some simple practice on a punching bag. There had been no mention of Killer Moth in the news, only a few concerned rumors about the man hiring a possible super-villain bodyguard.

The Celt scoffed at the thought, shaking his head in disbelief at the biased statement. _'Really, is it that hard to believe that he's not a complete villain? He's a father for crying out loud,'_ he ranted and adjusted his studded punk cap. Eli had simply dressed in blue cargo pants with a pair of running shoes on as well as a blue shirt with a silver spade on it worn underneath his gray vest and his studded elbow length gloves on.

He let out a soft whistle to himself when he felt his cell-phone vibrate and quickly checked the caller-ID. _'What the-Secured Line?'_ he wondered and quietly thought for a moment before answering the phone.

"Secured Line is who exactly?" Eli asked plainly, silently praying that it was the only girl he had given his number to.

_"The Tower's ground line,"_ came an ever familiar composed monotone reply.

"You should tell the Boy Wonder to change that, nearly gave me a heart attack," he stated though without a joking tone to his voice. "First time you've actually called me," Eli noted, calmly glancing around to see no one really paying attention as he walked into Black Knight.

_"Protecting the city is a full time job,"_ she replied while Eli quietly walked up to the second floor, giving a small nod to Kamin who merely shrugged while flipping a page in his book.

"Right, so, how many people got a video of Wisp?" he asked, cutting straight to the point. And was rewarded by a pause of silence while he took a seat in a chair and pulled off his hat.

_"At least fifteen and believed to be currently employed by a certain Killer Moth as a bodyguard to his daughter._" Eli merely nodded and nestled the phone between his head and shoulder while removing his vest. _"I noticed you didn't use your incorporeal power."_

"Only you and your team know about it and I need to keep it that way," Eli stated, pausing for a moment to let out a sigh and switched the phone to the other side of his ear. "Do you mind coming down to Black Knight, fhiagh?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck and imagined her raised eyebrow on the other side of the phone.

_"I am free right now, how soon?_" she questioned in turn and for a moment Eli swore he heard a little bit of what could have been emotion in her voice.

"Few minutes, I'm on the second floor right now." Eli replied and took a moment to check his watch.

_"I will be there shortly, goodbye._" There was a small click and Eli closed his phone shut before pausing to stare off for a moment and then chuckled.

_'I've got a friend of sorts that's a superhero, a girl genius I need to talk to later on, and a client who's a genetically mutated moth-man and his flirting daughter.'_ He took a moment to think before shaking his head with a slight groan. _'I need to get some mates that aren't wains,'_ he concluded, feeling a little uncomfortable with the little fact. Not that it was like he saw any of them as possible romantic interests; simply it was a bit of a weakness for him to be protective of people, particularly girls since his sister was born.

Eli took a moment to softly sigh and quietly reached up and grasped the cross hanging around his neck. "I hope you're all right," he murmured, squeezing the little piece of silver and stainless steel before releasing it.

The teen silently began to peruse the books, taking the chance to focus his currently active sixth sense. He could feel magic coming from below him, namely where he believed Kamin was. It was a bit surprising yet he couldn't help but rationalize and logically accept the possibility that Kamin was some kind of magic user.

_'Probably the reason why Raven likes this bookstore. There's someone like her that owns it,'_ he reasoned as he felt something ripple across his sixth sense. The sensation sent a few goose-bumps rippling down his back and made Eli turn around to see a dark shape pulling up out of the shadow of the chairs.

Eli immediately focused on the sight of the shadow condensing as well as the concentration of magic before him. The teen could sense how it moved surprisingly, compacting together as the darkness morphed into Raven who quietly paused to stare at Eli.

Namely as the Celt was looking at her in surprise but she could sense it was not completely focused on her presence. In fact, his aura was filled with curiosity, fascination and confusion, mystifying her as barely anyone held fascination towards her. At least, those that weren't fanatical fan-boys and the two shared a single look before Kamin's voice broke out from below.

"Give me a call before you decide to pop in Rabe! Some of us have bills to pay," Kamin called out with a slight growl to his voice.

"You don't have a land-line," she quipped in turn and Eli heard what nearly sounded like a barking scoff.

"I've still got verdammnt utilities, so can it!" Eli cocked an eyebrow at Raven who merely rolled her eyes calmly at the complaint.

The sorceress quietly brought her attention back to Eli who merely raised two fingers in a semi-salute of a greeting. She returned it with a small nod of her head before taking note of his hat and quietly picked it up. _'He seems to prefer functional dress mostly,'_ she noted quietly, studying the hat with gentle curiosity while sensing Eli's gaze.

"I guess I know why you like this store now," Eli guessed while taking a seat as Raven sat down and looked over the hat silently.

"Not all of us who study magic are active as heroes or villains for one reason or another," Raven explained, unable to hide her interest in the studs on the hat. Namely as they were made of actual metal, a clear reason for the price of the hat as she slowly set it down in her lap. "Such as a bodyguard who can fly," she dryly noted, glancing at Eli.

"Touche, and I had a feeling it was going to come out sometime," he replied with a sigh and a shrug before leaning back in his chair.

"You don't sound too worried." Eli smiled a little and gave another shrug before leaning forward. "A bit too quick for you to have a change of mind I presume," she added.

He snorted at the thought and shook his head. "Fat chance of that. Spider-face practically screamed creepy ex-boyfriend and I wouldn't have dressed the way I did if I wanted to keep it a complete secret," he admitted and Raven raised an eyebrow at the statement.

"You predicted you might face him," she inquired only for Eli to shake his head.

"Not Fang exactly, but most of my nights since coming here have involved super-villains. And only you and the Walkers know about me." Raven conceded to that fact and silently sat back. "So, how bad am I shaking up the news?" he asked and she gave him a deadpan glance.

"Enough that they are wondering if your going to be committing a crime or not." Immediately Eli curled his lips in irritation and shook his head furiously, murmuring under his breath. Even including a good few curses he picked up for good effort.

"People can be really stupid, what do you think though?" the sorceress looked him over for a moment before calmly handing over his hat back. "Do I seem like a criminal?" he asked in a fake, fearful tone.

"Hardly. You are more like a neutral good party," she stated, recalling a few lectures from her mentor Azar about alignments. "You've helped us only with Mad Mod and that was justifiable as the city had to be returned to normal for you to feel comfortable working there," she added and took a moment to choose her next words carefully. "At the Golden Gate, you stepped in to protect people but did not engage in the fight directly, and recently, you only fought Fang because it was part of your job to protect Kitten."

Eli blinked for a moment before mulling it over. _'Well when she puts it like that, I guess I am a bit neutral as far as crime and crime-fighting goes.'_ He filed the observation away before focusing on Raven, slipping the hat onto his knee cap There was no problem with it in his mind; he simply didn't see much point in getting involved.

The Titans were doing their job just fine as were the police. He only felt like getting involved with Mad Mod was because Eli simply didn't think that anyone else was there. It was plain and simple logic for him.

"Well I'm glad at least one friend of mine knows me well enough," Eli said with a smile and Raven stared at him, eyes wide in a little bit of surprise. "Right, acquaintance."

"You consider me a friend?" Raven asked in complete curiosity and wonder as they barely knew each other for very long.

"Of course, for one you are probably the only girl I know that I can talk to about nearly anything comfortably," he honestly admitted with a chuckle as Raven's cheeks turned a little pink as she recalled the other two girls he knew. At least by name. "Second, you know about my powers and respect my privacy and simple desire to just live with them not being too big in my life." He held up two fingers and followed them with a third. "And finally, I believe you can be trusted not because you're a superhero, but because you've got good sense."

Raven stared silently while inwardly wanting to actually question him on such a rash thought. Yet the emotions she could clearly read all pointed towards honest truth as far as Eli believed. It was not something that could simply be ignored and refuted; Eli truly believed that she was trustworthy without knowing everything about her.

_'Arguing with him would only be a challenge. And yet, I feel content that someone trusts me that isn't another superhero,'_ she realized, before feeling a small whisper in her mind._ 'Fine, happy,'_ she corrected herself and suppressed the sound of the emotion's squeal inside her mind. Though there was still the question of trusting him, at the moment Raven could see he was near her friends at least.

That and the teen was comfortable for her to be around as she focused on the Celtic Cross around his neck. The small piece of jewelry caught her attention yet she could sense the emotions around it and decided to leave it alone for now.

"You have a unique way of complimenting people," she managed to say and Eli merely took a moment to blink and then grin.

"And I'll take that as a compliment." Raven gave a small little smirk at the older teen's amusement before silently taking a moment to reach up and pull her hood back. "Whoa..." he murmured, causing her to stop smirking and stared at him quietly.

"What?" she asked, subconsciously fidgeting underneath his gaze. Namely as she knew to most people her gray skin as well as the gemstone on her ajna chakra was a sign of abnormality.

"You've got a beautiful face, fhiagh," Eli bluntly stated and promptly Raven's eyes widened.

In fact, both of her cheeks turned red as she saw the flash of awe in his emotion and something pink that flickered across her vision. Raven did not need much insight to ponder what it was and instead quickly worked on suppressing the emotional outburst. Only it still came as Eli's hat flew smack-dab into his face followed by one of the rooms practically exploding. Or at least, the books shot off their shelf and collided with each other, causing a loud ruckus that made Raven grimace and Eli wince at while removing his hat.

The two glanced at each other while Raven quietly turned away, trying to ignore the facts she recognized. Namely, that Eli paid her an honest compliment and that there had been a slight flash of attraction in his aura. Or at least, he found her physically beautiful enough to think she was pretty. _'Get a hold of yourself, you can't risk accidentally hurting your only friend outside of the tower,'_ she paused in realization and then gently relaxed. _'He hasn't jumped out of his seat screaming, yet, which is a good sign. I think.'_ She grimaced and looked at Eli while both heard a low growl coming from downstairs.

Eli quickly looked back at Raven, surprised at the sudden "poltergeist" like outbreak before focusing on his friend. _'That's the second time something happened when I gave her a compliment,'_ he recalled and glanced at his hat. _'I think I'm starting to see a connection; I surprise her and she blushes, and her powers act out,'_ he reasoned, recalling seeing the black energy that covered his hat as well as the book from a few days before.

"You two better clean that mess I hear up there or so help me, I am going to sick my dogs on you both!" Kamin barked angrily and Raven let out a heavy sigh before shooting a semi-embarrassed and annoyed look at Eli.

"Of course," Raven growled out while rising up and began walking to one of the rooms.

"No verdammnt shortcuts either! No magic, already a pain as it is..." the young German trailed off as Eli quickly got up and walked after Raven.

"No wonder people try not to piss off a German, sounds angrier than a drunk Russian," the Celt murmured while Raven merely scowled a little, still pink at her cheeks. "Okay, I'm sorry for embarrassing you like that fhiagh, I didn't mean for that to happen."

"You should be more careful with your words," Raven sighed while picking up a few books and began carefully placing them on the table. Eli took several into his arms and put them on the table, not at all holding back on using his heightened strength to carry a great deal much to Raven's inward surprise.

"I can't stop being that blunt. Not overnight," Eli replied with a grunt before sighing and shaking his head.

The sorceress paused and took a moment to organize the armful placed onto the table and then began shelving the books. "It's the emotions behind them and how I see them. I can feel your honesty and what you're feeling when you speak." She glanced at Eli to find him listening attentively while gathering up another armful.

"I remember that, though that last part is a bit new to me." Raven took a moment to nod and continued.

"No one I know of is like you in that aspect. It's a little, refreshing, for me. And you don't lie either," she added and Eli smiled at the compliment.

"Not in me to really lie. I may not tell everything about myself, but what I do is only the truth." Raven nodded in agreement as the Celt thought about the way her magic it seemed reacted. "I'm trying to think of the simplest way to say this without being my kind of blunt."

"Don't strain yourself," Raven quipped, catching an amused smirk from Eli.

"Never around you, fhiagh." She felt her cheeks heat up a little and carefully managed to contain the outburst enough that a book merely shot off the shelf, right into Eli's quick moving hand.

_'That was too fast to be normal, but it's not something I shouldn't expect,'_ she quickly realized yet Eli merely gave her a small smile and shelved the book for her. "You have a tendency to make me feel a bit too much," she bluntly stated, inwardly grimacing as Eli blinked.

"Is that a bad thing for you?" asked Eli, eyebrows raised in curiosity.

"It can be. My powers are connected to my emotions, the more I feel, the stronger they are but the harder they are to control. When I feel something unexpected or I feel too much." She paused for a moment to look at the remaining books on the floor and sighed softly. "An outburst occurs, with unpredictable results."

"I'd say just various; so far it seems when I've given you a compliment, things just go flying around. Not like you've blown up something before," Eli said offhandedly. Only to pause as he noticed the silence from Raven and saw her looking away from him. "... Or have you?" he asked, and Raven give him a slight glare.

"You were going to say something before we got off subject," she stated, quickly changing the subject out of fear. The Celt took a moment to recall his words earlier before nodding, though Raven could still see concern in his aura.

"Well, I like talking to you, feck, just even being around you." The sorceress paused in shelving to turn and stare at the teen, surprised. Her hair immediately flew up in a small flare of her emotions, causing Eli to crack a grin at the sight.

That was the last thing she predicted he might say. Though she had bonded with her friends and did enjoy spending time with them, she couldn't immediately recall a time where they said anything remotely similar to Eli just now. It was not just unexpected, but it was touching to her. Someone actually came out and said they enjoyed her company, in blunt laymen's terms.

Raven actually stopped moving in favor of pulling herself into her mind just enough to focus on her emotions and thoughts lest she cause another outburst. It was surprising that so few words could make her feel so much even though it merely cemented his stand on how he saw her. Though she couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive and cautious about the sudden statement.

"Why? We've barely known each other for a week," she stated and Eli took a moment to stack the last of the books onto the table.

"I can't really give you a single word explanation. I do feel that we're similar in a lot of ways; private people, close secrets, blunt and witty, but namely, we don't see each other as two empowered teens. Just people trying to live how they want to." Raven stared and watched as Eli looked over a few books and began shelving them, letting his words sink in. He hadn't gone off on some rant or tangent; merely stuck to what they both knew and accepted about each other.

"You are an interesting person, Eli," Raven finally spoke and the Celt glanced at her with a bit of amusement in his eyes.

"So are you, Raven." She quietly gave the smallest of smiles.

The moment didn't last as Eli's cell-phone vibrated and the teen quickly pulled it up and blinked at the caller-ID while Raven continued the mess clean-up. _'Quart Cellphone... must be either Alexis or her dad,'_ he realized and tapped the call button.

"Eli Cormac Dolan speaking," he said calmly in a casual tone.

_"Hey, what's going on? I haven't heard from you about the security job offer."_ The Celt blinked and let out a groan while smacking his forehead at the slip-up. Though with all of the events he had experienced lately, it was a miracle he still kept himself low on the radar.

"Sorry about that, I'm guessing it's gone and past now," Eli said aloud, glancing at Raven who quirked an eyebrow and paused in the clean-up to watch.

_"We're still looking, I did hear about that fight with Fang you know."_ Eli grimaced further this time and Raven took note of his aura. Namely the irritation starting to build as well as a bit of anger. _"Not that I would have forgotten you being her bodyguard and all. Or that you should have some scars on your back or worse."_

The Celt let out a sigh before taking a seat and ran a hand through his hair and turned to look at Raven who merely resumed working. "Right, I told you that same day about the job..." he trailed off and frowned to himself. _'Okay, I have got to keep myself in check better, that's three teenagers that know,'_ he chastised and took in a deep breath. "Please tell me you haven't mentioned that bit to anyone," Eli added.

_"You bet I haven't. Last thing I want to do is ruin the only two friendships I have right now,"_ Alexis replied, and Eli immediately felt bittersweet relief at the reminder of the girl's current social status of sorts. _"Actually, I've talked it over with her dad. He's really smart once you get past the whole moth-eaten-wasteland threat."_ Eli blinked and raised an eyebrow.

"Glad me and Raven aren't the only ones who recognize the obvious about him, but what did you talk about exactly?" he asked, getting the girl back on track.

_"Oh right. Well, if you can swing by WayneTech, Mr. Wayne is still in town until the security issue is resolved. I worked out a schedule with Mr. Walker about it, he doesn't mind as long as you can keep up protecting Kitten."_ The Celt raised both eyebrows and looked to Raven who was finishing up a few shelves while also giving him a questioning look.

"I'm free today but I'll need some directions shortly. I've got to finish up a little clean-up job at a bookstore, kind of spooked a friend of mine," he said and Raven rolled her eyes at his little end remark.

_"That's fine, I'm just getting back into my projects today,_" Eli idly wondered what the girl meant before hearing a voice that sounded like Bruce himself. _"And there's my boss man, I've got a presentation to run by him. See you soon, okay?"_ she asked excitedly.

The teen could practically imagine the short girl bouncing eagerly and chuckled. "Alright, see you in a bit. Take care of yourself Alexis," he advised gently.

_"You too, later Eli!"_ And with a click the call ended and he closed the phone.

"Kitten I presume," Raven stated calmly, the last of the books already placed back into their resting spots.

"Actually, Alexis. I kind of forgot that she told me about a security job at WayneTech. Killer Moth talked with her about it, though only about hours I figure," he noted though Raven still shot him a skeptical look.

"And she knows about Kitten and her father, I take it," she guessed and Eli gave a nod.

"If Bruce Wayne himself actually calls her his brightest intern here in California, I'm going to bet that she knows full well." Raven took a moment to ponder before giving a solid nod in return. Gizmo was, after all, rather young and diminutive in size but showed a disturbing brilliance; young geniuses were not exactly uncommon in her book.

"Robin would be suspicious. As am I," she admitted though Eli just shrugged.

"Don't blame you. Truth is, I am too but I'll give him a chance. The man's a father who probably has only gone to jail once since he had Kitten." The statement made Raven actually take a solid moment to ponder on the idea as Eli brushed his hat off. "Until I think otherwise, Kitten still has Wisp as a bodyguard," he added.

"I would be questioning your intelligence if you weren't," Raven stated as Eli blinked and gave a small smile at the remark.

"You and me both. 'Sides, he's actually giving me a health break of sorts, well, I hope so. Mostly to see if I'm a ticking genetic bomb or not. His words, not mine," Eli warned while Raven gawked at him sans the open mouth and then composed herself.

"Please elaborate," she requested simply.

"He took a small blood sample from me while Kitten patched me up a little when we got to her house. And he wanted to know where my powers came from, and probably if they are stable or not," which was an honest concern that Eli had. Especially as it would also mean if he had a time limit to find his sister within or not, or if they was a chance of his powers changing on him.

Raven took a moment to mull it over before accepting the information. "I see. It still is something to be concerned about, namely as you don't have much assurance that he won't use it for himself," she pointed out, skeptical of the thought.

"Physically no, but... if he is any bit as protective and concerned as I am when it comes to family, then he can be trusted," Eli stated and Raven stared at him as she saw his entire aura become a single pillar of conviction and resolve. "That much I can be assured about."

"You are taking a risk with him," Raven warned, though her voice remained monotone as could be.

"No denying that, but I'll take responsibility for it. Count on that fhiagh," he advised and took a moment to slip on his cap. "I'll keep you informed just in case."

"Very well," she let the subject drop there as it was clear to her that Eli was not going to budge on the subject.

It annoyed her a little but at the same time Raven could honestly trust his word. Once more his emotional aura and the intensity it had played a part in her decision. This time in accepting that he had a resolve as solid as reinforced steel alloy, and would not budge easily. Not that she didn't try, Eli was clearly thinking like an adult and didn't just go into his decision blindly.

She felt uneasy about his emotional conviction and curious about the way he used himself as a comparison. Raven did not pursue the curiosity as it was something she did not feel comfortable with asking about. Especially as Eli was rather reserved when it came to the subject and personally, Raven was as well. More than anyone perhaps.

"It was nice talking to you Raven, wish it could be on a bit of a hopeful note," Eli said, making his way out of the room with the sorceress in tow.

"Ditto." The teen smiled and pulled on his cap.

"I'll see you around then, maybe for a quick chat at your cafe," Raven paused for a moment before nodding as they walked down the stairs. "I might bring Alexis along, so she can give you her thanks for saving her."

Raven blinked owlishly and brought up her hood. "She'd be uncomfortable around me," she quickly said.

"Won't hurt to try, you two might just get along too," Eli replied before giving her a small grin and walked out of the bookstore. 'And I can start ironing out who I need to really keep close anyway as a friend,' he thought while adjusting his hat.

Raven stared and silently glanced at the counter only to see Kamin looking at her with a raised eyebrow. _'I have a hard time reminding myself that he's a possible metahuman. But perhaps that is a good thing to have a friend that defines human,_' she thought before silently calling up her soul-self to transport her to the tower.

Across the street, a green eyed girl with long black hair walked out of the cafe she was in, adjusting her glasses in the process. A small smile spread out across her face as she gently removed her spectacles and tucked them into a case. The girl casually walked out of the little shop while paying her tab, tucking the case into her pocket and masking the soft red glow of a single button.

*** * * TT * * ***

**JavaCentral Internet Cafe**

A young girl with green eyes and pale blond hair sipped her tea, idly looking over her laptop calmly. She was dressed in a simple black denim jacket with an army fatigue bandana as well as a simple black cropped tank-top that comfortably fit her physique. The young woman smiled for a moment after sipping the coffee brew she ordered before noticing two new messages on her laptop.

Her lips turned into an amused smile before opening the two messages. To anyone passing her by as she had herself calmly tucked in a relatively quiet section, it would appear that she was looking at a possible amusing message or a video clip.

Instead she was overlooking the pictures of Eli talking on his phone and entering Black Knight as well as walking down the stairs with Raven. Her eyes seemed to glow with intrigue and wonder before she looked through the older pictures and smirked. The girl quietly closed the folder and opened up the second message, slipping her earphones in and clicked the audio link as a black window opened up on her screen.

_"The Company is here."_

_"I am pleased to know that the word of my mentor holds true even in death,"_ she typed, each word being instantly converted into scrambled and distorted audio. A simple quirk of using the program to maintain secrecy. _"You know who I am."_

_"The Company was informed by the Terminator of references given out, Ravager."_ The line made her eyes darkened for a moment yet she kept a simple smile on her face, a hollow mask for the public. _"The services the Company provides are specific, Ravager. The limitations do not bend."_

_"Of course, I have no intentions of insulting my mentor's memory and good faith held in you. My mentor has payment set aside with my own funds added to pay for my request."_ She paused for a moment to sip her coffee and set the cup back down.

_"The request has been evaluated and the Company has only one concern. Public attention of the Company's true nature must be minimal or any contract will be revoked."_

Ravager paused for a moment to mull over the information and simply typed her response up. _"My mentor left explicit details of your reasoning for minimal public attention. I have made plans to keep their exposure to a minimal only in accordance to your, front."_ The last sentence was accompanied by her eyes shifting up to notice a young handsome waiter blushing at her as he refilled her coffee. She sent him a disarmingly flirtatious wink causing him to stumble away before focusing back on the screen.

_"The Company is pleased that Ravager is like unto the Terminator and expresses displeasure at the rumors of demise. If possible, the Company will be attentive to any evidence of truth to the rumors."_

_"I believe I may be able to provide substantial evidence soon. As for my request?_" Her eyes narrowed minutely as she studied the next line, awaiting the response.

There was a pause and for a moment she simply sat there waiting and then the green text appeared on the screen as the computerized voice accompanied it. _"The Company has accepted the request. A cell is being assembled and parameters disclosed. The Company estimates the arrival to be a week starting tomorrow."_ Immediately she smiled in satisfaction before leaning back in the chair and sipped her coffee.

_"I am pleased that the Company's reputation is well-founded."_ She didn't even glance up as a familiar girl with black hair and green eyes sat down in the chair beside her, already ordering tea for herself.

_"The Company will follow the reputation, expect dossier to precede cell arrival. End of line."_

The young woman smiled with no reservation on her delight. _'You wouldn't be pleased with such a public smile father, but I am only your daughter, not your legacy,'_ she thought before looking to the girl joining her.

"What's the news, Rose?" the girl asked in a clean voice, devoid of any accent.

"We'll be having company soon," Rose replied with a smile on her lips. "Any news on the two birds, Jade?" she asked slyly.

"Plenty, you're going to enjoy what I found out," Jade smirked and the two merely shared knowing glances. Completely at ease and unnoticed by everyone around them as just a pair of girls chatting about either makeup or jewelry.

* * *

Cue dramatic music and questions.

Reviews are deeply appreciated, flames will be analyzed and stored for winter use. Either way, please kindly submit a review. Thank you.

**Konpeki Rei**


	8. Test by Trial Part I

**AN:** I am still alive and this story is still going strong! I have been catching up on my work with this and also trying to work on A Little Series some more. Both are doing well and nearing their big hit marks, which I shall soon reveal! on another note, finished hashing out this idea properly.

And I will be going back for one reason to fix up the previous documents; plot. Simply put, Ectoplasm does not fit my plot anymore and I need to switch that with the correct term. I apologize, I have been constantly ironing this idea out until I reached the perfect fit for it but thankfully there's no major editing. Just that the instances in previous chapters where ectoplasm are mentioned should just be ignored and thought of as energy.

I'll be fixing that up so there won't be anything surprising that requires everyone to go back to read the previous chapters necessarily. It just fits better that it isn't ectoplasm, but it is energy not normally native to the human body. Anywho.

Gratitude and applause to my wonderful beta-reader n00dl3gal once again for her continued work! And make sure to check out her stories, she's getting better and better folks! Also, appreciation goes out to PurpleStarsGreenFire, DiscipleofRevan, and n00dl3gal for their reviews, I do look forward to seeing more from everyone who enjoys reading this story!

Disclaimer: I own no franchise, only my characters which I have created. Please enjoy the newest chapter! Things are going to get interesting.

_Italics_ with 'dialogue' are thoughts  
_Italics_ with "dialogue" is speech through phones/communicators

**Chapter 8: Test by Trial Pt I**

*** * * TT * * * **

**Private Estate, San Francisco**

Rose wiped the sweat off her face before walking over to a wall and tapped out a sequence on the keypad. Behind her, Jade flipped herself up to her feet and merely pulled herself over to the bench. The Asian girl glanced over at her friend to see her already heading out the door after finishing the key sequence and merely followed behind her.

"Going to watch today's spar already?" she mused playfully while the blond merely gave a simple nod. "I should have known, even though I doubt the Boy Wonder himself could take you on," she pointed out.

"That doesn't mean I can take on his mentor, so I have room for improvement," Rose replied and ignored the mocking scoff from her sparring partner.

"You can go for that, I'm content with being at Wonder tights' level." The blonde merely gave a brief smirk at her friend.

"And yet we still know our limits despite where our goals lie." Rose stated calmly, clearing her body of sweat before noticing the presence of Wintergreen.

The two girls stopped in front of the aged man who politely bowed before presenting them both with military grade water-bottles. Jade smiled and accepted it, gratefully chugging it down while Rose calmly took hers and emotionlessly sipped the bottle.

"Wintergreen, I presume you have returned with our guests," she remarked after capping the bottle, her eyes focused on the aged man calmly.

"Yes madam, they are awaiting your presence in the foyer," Jade perked up and surprisingly vanished out of view yet Rose didn't bat so much as an eye at the sudden teleportation. "I will oversee the completion of their accommodations in the meantime."

"Thank you Wintergreen." The aged man bowed before slipping the trench coat he had on his arm onto her waiting arms, taking the towel and water bottle in the process.

Rose gave him a simple nod before walking past him through the hallway connecting to the main entrance of simple mansion. The walls were a simple pale creamy yellow color with simple dark red tiles with spiral designs seemingly etched in.

She calmly and methodically locked the lapels in place as well as fixed the clasps, closing the coat and leaving only her bare legs nearly visible and her tank-top hidden. Upon reaching the large oak doors, Jade came into view only wearing a cat like mask with green eyes and wide teeth as well as wearing a simple green short kunoichi kimono. The brunette gave her a simple smile behind the mask before pushing the doors open, revealing the inside of the foyer; a gentle creamy white with wood panels yet both girls focused on the four people currently waiting on them.

First and foremost that stood out was the shorter of the two young women standing at five feet and two inches. Caucasian in skin tone yet with Japanese descent with her dark orange eyes and fair face as well as her short black hair, held in a messy Japanese tomboy fashion with red fiery streaks dyed into it. She was built lithe like an athlete despite her height with a wild glint to her eyes as well as her right canine tooth visible in a manner similar to Beast Boy.

Only she wore a black cropped tank top with a pair of dark red cargo pants along with a pair of matching gloves; index and pinky exposed with flint at the fingertips of the covered fingers. Unsurprisingly she wore a pair of steel-toed combat boots with red socks and had a few tattoos peeking out; fiery swirls of red and orange going down the left side of her neck with a large dark yellow and orange dragon coiled around right arm like an armband above the elbow.

Second was the taller of the two young men; a young giant standing at six feet with a muscular stocky build, Norse in descent with his considerable size and was leaning up against the wall. He had dark brown hair in a simple set of braids in the back with stormy gray eyes that seemed to swirl as Rose studied them.

The Norseman wore a simple rugged black military vest over a bare chest showing off several scars that littered his muscled chest, revealing six well developed abdominals. He had a simple pair of red cargo pants with multiple rings on his hands, a chain around his neck, and a chain belt with no gloves and a simple pair of combat boots, sans steel-toes. A large case was at his side made of a dark metal and Rose noted the metal to likely be depleted promethium alloy.

The second girl was the tallest of the two girls and stood calmly beside one of the chairs, five feet and eight inches and across from the first girl. She had wispy blond hair held up in a simple Russian military form with a short ponytail and with sharp jade green eyes to match. Unlike the first two, Rose could only make out a wiry Russian build but little less as she wore a more military uniform.

Gray combat fatigues in the form of a shirt and cargo pants with a black flak vest pulled over it and zipped up. She wore no gloves at all and simple combat boots with an elegant silver dress jacket over it. Even with the uniform, the young woman was beautiful as she was intimidating with her sharp stare.

Finally, Rose turned her attention to the last of the quartet, a young man just one inch short of six feet yet no less intimidating. He too wore a far more disciplined uniform but of pure jet black against gray, the opposite of the second girl's uniform. The fourth member looked to be in his physical peak and fairly handsome with his short brown military cropped hair yet an icy blue set of eyes and built like a young German youth.

The final member had a complete military design to his attire from his flak vest to his beret. He wore combat boots like the rest and cargo pants but also black fingerless gloves made of a dark metal that was no doubt depleted promethium alloy lined with Kevlar. He had a calculative look to his eyes and was sitting in the chair the second girl was standing beside and immediately stood up as Rose and Jade walked into the room.

"Dietrich Falkenrath, correct?" Rose questioned as the young man in question stood up, the young woman beside him already at his side.

"Correct Ravager, I trust you have received the dossier on us as per the Company's reputation," he stated with the barest hint of a German accent. Dietrich took only a moment to sharply glare at the other two members of his group, with only the girl pulling herself up while the other merely stopped leaning against the wall.

"I have and I am impressed with what I have read. Though I follow my mentor in our, ways," she stated, glancing at the latter two members. "I presume that you were informed of this."

"We understand Ms. Ravager." This time the response came from the wispy blonde who stepped forward. "The first assignment is but an initial test, to see if we are capable of operating in the real world, blending in with normal civilians."

"These two are already smarter than the rest of the HAEYP." Jade noted with amusement, but actually impressed at the intelligence both showed before glancing at the remaining two. "Don't know about the other two, namely the short one."

"The short one can roast you alive," growled the short girl as she snapped her fingers.

Sparks erupted from the two pads of flint striking each other only to explode into a single flame that hovered atop the girl's bare index finger. Jade promptly raised her eyebrows behind the mask while Rose merely glanced at the girl as the flame grew to form a single fireball.

As soon as she clenched her fist, the flame died as if submitted to a sudden vacuum. Rose quickly glanced over at the source to find the wispy blonde lowering her hand while the short-tempered girl shot her a glare before firing a second one at Jade who was pretending to giggle at her. The girl narrowed her eyes and the temperature in the room began to skyrocket dangerously fast.

"Stand down, Rinku," Dietrich ordered while glaring at the young girl.

"Whatever you say boss," Rinku drawled out, eyes narrowed as the temperature decreased.

"Way to make us look like a bunch of playground children, Rinku," the six foot man deeply chuckled, smirking at Japanese American who merely turned her hand and promptly flipped him off.

"Enough, both of you," Dietrich commanded and Rose raised an eyebrow as the two stiffened and stood at firm attention.

"So it is true that a few of your second branch are a bit rowdy," Rose observed, glancing at the two briefly to see Rinku glaring at her but keeping her tongue in check. "And an interesting choice, yet you keep them in line," she noted, looking at Dietrich who gave her a firm nod. "My colleague and bodyguard, Cheshire," she said while gesturing to Jade.

"Ma'am." She smiled behind her mask before looking at the wispy blond who merely tilted her head in a silent greeting. "We have been briefed on the parameters of your request, it is a bit out of normal procedures for the Nephilim Company."

"I am aware of that, yet here you are," came Rose's reply as she gave a small pleasured grin at the young man. "You wouldn't be sent here if it was believed I wanted to use you as mere hired muscle."

"Correct. And Rinku and Agni have been briefed on their missions, when do you wish for us to start?" Dietrich asked and a dark twisted grin flashed across the Norsemen's face.

Rinku on the other hand merely pursed her lips together, eyes narrowed as Rose calmly smiled at the quartet. "Immediately, there is much work to be done," she stated.

*** * * TT * * * **

**WayneTech R&D Center, Laboratory**

A familiar head of goldenrod hair moved about the workspace with head bobbing up and down, blue eyes shining behind a pair of magnifying lens. Alexis happily hummed aloud as she peered down at the project being carefully adjusted, boxed off with a transparent shield as she gently touched up the highly microscopic device. The girl genius had a look of absolute happiness as she worked while a small four legged robot scampered across her table with another in tow, both carrying over a keyboard.

The two robots were spherical shaped in body with white plating to their forms and small black joints and tiny claws allowing them to grip the keyboard's frame. Alexis seemed oblivious to the two as they set their load down before a third joined them only with a blue lens instead of a red one like the first two. Each one sported the WayneTech emblem on their head but below it was a stylized sprocket with a single blue G n the middle.

The entire section of the room had two other workbenches with several other small robots scampering about, organizing the clutter. There was also two docking stations hooked up to a single white hard-drive where one of the robots was currently resting with legs locked in place on it's docking spot and eye duly glowing. In the background, other interns could be seen working on their own projects and ideas with two security guards stationed in the blind-spots of the cameras.

One stood at the farthest workbench in Alexis' section with the second actually looking on with interest, being none other than Eli himself. The Celt's eyes watched with fascination at the way the little machines moved about without interfering with Alexis though a few bumped into each other and dropped their paper-loads.

Immediately the two little robots began whistling and beeping at each other. Eli turned his gaze to them in time to see one actually push the other and soon they were both wrestling with each other. The rest of the robots stopped what they were doing to investigate, whistling and beeping with what could only be described with excitement. All except for the blue eyed robot that gave a long and somehow exasperated whistle before climbing onto Alexis' arm.

"Looks like your boys are fighting again," Eli finally said causing the blonde to snap out of her trance, pulling her hands away from her project.

"What? They are?" she asked, blinking in surprise. The sound of mechanically excited whistles and beeps caught her attention, causing Alexis to let out a groan and whirl around. "Oh for programmer's sake, cut that out!" she ordered, stomping over to the gathering of robots, an even baker's dozen including the one on her shoulder.

"It's like high-school, only with wee machines," Eli joked, walking after Alexis while a few of the other interns looked up and rolled their eyes at the scene. A few scoffed yet the other security guards merely chuckled and watched with amusement.

"Except my boys are supposed to help their mama, not embarrass her." The young genius groaned as she approached the workbench, left hand at her face to rub her brow while the right cupped her elbow. "I knew I should have stuck to using Eve here as a template, but no, I wanted to go the queen bee route."

"I'd say something witty but I stopped at community college so I'll settle for saying wee robots having a workbench scuffle is priceless," Eli laughed. He watched as the rest of the robots formed a ring around the two fighting and actually seemed to be cheering them on.

"Right, Mr. Fox is going to get a hoot out of that," Alexis dryly remarked before whistling sharply at the robots. "Hey! Eyes on mama!" she ordered, and promptly all twelve of the machines stopped just long enough to turn to Alexis.

Even the two fighters had stopped moving, comically having their little hands locked together and their legs motionless. One was laying on its lack of a posterior and back, looking at Alexis from the surface of the workbench while the other was standing up with two legs against the base of the other for leverage. The silence the drones gave was only broken when the loser of the two lightly struck the other at the bottom of the base, causing it to beep sharply.

_'And there's the kick to the crotch, if they had one,' _Eli laughed, cupping his mouth while Alexis just glared at the two and scowled. "George! How many times do I have to write it in your code?" she groaned and sadly pouted at the machines. "You know you're supposed to relay all route information to each other whenever you decide to change it!" she chided, wagging her finger as the twelve robots lowered their eyes to the floor.

"You know, I've been here a year and that still never gets old." The Celt turned to the brunette man walking up to him, roughly only an inch shorter than Eli. "You should have seen them when she first made George there."

"What did he do? Whistle eat my circuits?" he joked, causing the older security guard to laugh.

"Almost, he caught another intern glaring at Alexis when she walked by and 'attacked' him." Eli blinked for a moment and couldn't help but laugh at the thought of a small-palm sized machine trying to attack a five to six foot person.

"Feckin' hell, I know I shouldn't be laughin' but seriously, he attacked him?" He clutched his sides, shaking with mirth and laughter.

"Well if you can call it an attack. More like he was pinching him over and over and tried to pull out some of his hair, nose hairs actually." Both men paused to wince at the thought. "They may look small but they do have some strength as machines."

"I'm still not used to it and I've been here a week," Eli noted, adjusting his uniform. _'Not like it's been a short week either. Security detail during the day, bodyguard work at night mostly, and switching every other day sans Sunday,' _the teen thought to himself.

His work schedule was nothing to scoff at nor complain about as it was lucky enough that he managed to land two jobs. Though the bodyguard work was mostly on call whenever Kitten went out at night as she was busy with the end of summer school. Eli had to adjust his schedule to keep up his workouts to stay in shape and practice his hand-to-hand but it was already proving to be worth the effort.

_'Weekly pay from WayneEnterprises and biweekly from Killer Moth,' _he noted while adjusting the black security cap he wore. The uniform was simply and yet reflected the Gotham origins of the company. Sleek black pants and a jacket with a dark brown shirt underneath and a Kevlar jacket under that, the shirt being a distinguishing sign of interior security officers. The uniform included dark brown boots and gloves along with a state-of-the-art WayneElectronics radio and ear-piece.

The teen was honestly impressed with the uniform in comparison to his past jobs as a bouncer. Namely as the Kevlar vest was an added bonus and frankly gave Eli some comfort as his body was still as mortal as any normal person.

"It's lunch-time everyone, those working shift make sure to clock in on the time-card," the voice of the Chief of Security echoed in Eli's ear as the Celt put a finger on the stylized ear-piece, an actual button to allow an outgoing message to be sent.

"Understood, taking my lunch break with Ms. Quart," he stated, others already giving in their responses.

"Ask her out already, it's been a week." Eli rolled his eyes and tapped the ear-piece again.

"Damn your thick Jacob, someone smack that jackeen' for me," he asked before turning to Alexis and promptly heard the sound of a smack over the radio. "Thank you very much."

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow Eli," his shift-partner said as the rest of the security guards and interns began walking out the doors to the break-room and parking lot as needed.

"You too Irons, hey Alexis," the Celt turned to find the girl quickly in mid-lecture of the little robots. "Lunch time," he announced with a simple smile on his face as a small sea of red eyes looked up at him.

The girl genius took a moment to blink before looking to the clock in surprise. "What? Already? I could have sworn I had another hour..." she sighed and looked back at her machines. "Docking stations everyone, chop-chop!"

All of the robots whistled and beeped before scampering around with George and his opponent slowly disengaging. Despite this, the two still shot each other stares, the best the two could do without two working eyes and eyebrows to perform a glare. The two continued to eye each other for a moment before a sharp clearing of the throat brought their attention back up to Alexis.

She quietly stared down the two machines, arms folded with the single thirteenth robot managing to lightly pull itself up Alexis' hair and perched herself onto her head. "That means you two, and I'll know if you two fight again. And someone's going to find themselves with a downgrade if they do, got it?" Both machines sharply whistled and skittered away, moving as fast as possible.

"I've said it once before, this job is never dull," Eli stated, watching the robots nestle themselves into their ports. Each one lowered itself into the docking station and small connectors popped out of their base, allowing them to connect and recharge themselves.

"You're only saying that because you're stationed in my area," Alexis teased, smiling from ear to ear as she pulled on her laboratory coat, pockets filled with small notepads containing blue-print paper.

"That and it's not like I'll get used to seeing thirteen little machines running around like kids," he retorted while slipping off his cap and tucked it into his back-pocket. "Come on ya' little savant, let's go get some grub."

"Okay, but remember Kitten is joining us since she's getting out of summer school early~" The Celt took a moment to pause and let out a long heavy sigh. _'Great, and she'll try to flirt with me again. I need some male friends or something,_' he mentally mused.

"First thing's first, let me make a call to check in on fhiagh," Eli stated while Alexis smiled at him. Only it reached from ear to ear, causing the Celt to stare at his friend. "What?"

"Oh nothing, just that out of the three of us, you gave her a nickname," she cooed playfully and her little drone Eve whistled and beeped as if to mimic her. "Eve noticed it too!" she piped up.

"Ya' all got ya' little nicknames and it's just something I do..." Eli trailed off and softly sighed as he rubbed his temples. _'Mainly because I did it with my sister and mom,' _he thought before shaking himself out of such sad thoughts. "'Sides, you three are growing on me a bit," he added.

"Sure, but only she gets a Gaelic nickname~" The Celt eyed the short little Caucasian who winked before skipping ahead of him. "Come on, I've been dying to go to this cafe!"

"A'ight, lead the way," Eli said as he began dialing the one number he had truly memorized.

*** * * TT * * * **

**Titan's Tower**

Beast Boy and Cyborg sat at the table with Robin while Starfire was sadly in the kitchen. The team had nothing against the free spirited Tameranean, just her actual cooking which sadly had yet to be expanded to Earth culture yet. Usually they all had to grin and try to stomach the food, as even Cyborg somehow had problems with it. And the young adult actually had a stomach made of depleted promethium alloy for the most part (which frankly disturbed the rest of the team that he of all people couldn't handle Starfire's cooking).

At the moment, Raven was not subject to the taste test of Starfire's latest dish as she was currently studying her last volume on spiritual entities and beings. Mostly as Eli had actually asked her for a bit of help on figuring out how his powers worked. The young sorceress had grown to the point where she could truly consider the Celtic youth a friend.

_'Punk Rocket, Fang, and now Johnny Rancid. All minor villains so far, though it's only a matter of time before he faces a team. The HIVE perhaps,' _she thought while closing her book. _'And so far Eli has only been perceived by the media as a meta-human bodyguard,' _Raven took a moment to close her eyes and relax. It was interesting that so far the media was unsure whether he was a villain, neutral, or hero. Something which intrigued her as the young sorceress could easily tell just by his actions that Eli was merely just doing his job and not really interested in an alignment.

"For now at least," she murmured and stood up.

As luck had it, the actual land-line for the tower rang aloud, breaking the silence. Both Robin and Cyborg exchanged surprised glances while Starfire squeaked and whipped around to stare at the phone in curiosity. Raven merely eyed it while trying to figure out who could be calling as she made her way over.

Beast Boy on the other hand, saw his chance at freedom from Tameranean cooking and took it. The changeling quickly shifted into a raccoon to bolt across the table and through the kitchen before Raven could reach it, transforming back into his true form and snatched the phone up. He missed seeing the annoyed glare from Raven while quickly hitting the call button.

"This is Beast Boy at the Titan's Tower, how can I be of assistance?" he chimed eagerly, praying that it was perhaps a call from a club owner or maybe even a possible fan club president. Hopefully his own.

_"That was different." _The boy slumped immediately at the male voice. _"I don't need any help, just wanted to check in on my friend."_

"Uh, okay, and your friend is...?" Beast Boy asked, blinking in confusion while the others watched him in curiosity with Raven cocking an eyebrow at the changeling.

_"Raven, is she there? I know she usually meditates at about twelve thirty, unless she pushed it back today," _Eli stated, oblivious to the gob-smacked look on the changeling's face.

The aforementioned sorceress was merely watching with curiosity as were the rest of the Titans. Robin was actually already up as was Cyborg, while Starfire hovered above him with eyes full of wonder.

Beast Boy was too busy trying to process what he had just heard much to his shock. And immediately whipped his head around to look at Raven before quickly acting on pure changeling instinct.

"DUDES! It's some guy saying he's Raven's friend!" The reactions were immediate! Cyborg actually whipped around in a similar fashion to his friend only both his cybernetic eye and organic eyes were opened wide with immediate wonder.

The Boy Wonder quickly looked to Raven for confirmation while Starfire gasped promptly in shock, already wheeling around to look as well. The entire team sans the sorceress herself were looking at her with various degrees of surprise, shock, disbelief, and primarily confusion.

Raven herself was unsure what to do first. Her cheeks were trying to decide whether to turn red or pink with either embarrassment, indignation, or anger mostly aimed at Beast Boy for his common bout of loudmouth announcements. Only the fact that an act of violence would draw further attention kept her from outright strangling him and throwing him into the bay. Even worse was the fact that only one person would possibly call her let alone have the luck of Beast Boy picking the phone up instead of her.

Eli. Her only male friend that wasn't on the team. Also known as Wisp as far as the team knew minus his true identity. And who was still on the phone with the last Titan she wanted Eli to converse with due to the latter's similar nature to herself but also his rather sharp tongue. That and Beast Boy's imagination was going to kill her through embarrassment alone.

_'Oh Azar...' _she grimaced, already imagining Eli's annoyed expression he often got when talking about Kitten. Only perhaps he was wondering if he could smack Beast Boy or not.

_"I'm still on the phone ya' know," _Eli replied. Raven quickly walked over to snatch the phone away when Beast Boy proved himself to be impulsive as ever; and pressed the speaker-phone button. _"Look if she's meditating ya' don't need to bother her. Just wanted to check in on her since-"_

"You're on speaker-phone," Raven quickly stated as Beast Boy switched the phone accordingly without hanging up the call.

_"Rav-wait, what the hell did he do that for?" _The irritation was clear in his tone as Beast Boy flinched and looked to see Cyborg and Raven glaring at him.

Cyborg was at least just crossing his arms over his large mechanical form while Starfire squeaked and hid behind Robin, eyeing the phone from behind the Boy Wonder. The leader himself was actually mirroring his tall friend and actually had small slits for his glare with the domino mask. And judging by the way he was scowling, Robin was the second most annoyed person in the room.

First place belonged to Raven who was actually glaring at Beast Boy with so much fury that it made the changeling freeze in place. In addition, her irises had actually turned red with rage while the sclera turned jet black. Her look was not the same as the one she could give Doctor Light, but it was far more intimidating as Raven's Ajna chakra gemstone was glowing with dark energy.

And the final terrifying characteristic was her low growl as well as the fact that her eyes were nearly turning into thin dark slits. If not for the situation, they all might have noticed that the stoves had not actually exploded but imploded. A small sign of controlled fury but it was overlooked in favor of Raven covering her hands subconsciously in dark energy while balling them up.

"Because he wishes for me to rip his soul apart and spread it across all of existence," Raven seethed, her voice nearly dropping into a demonic octave. "And I am willing to oblige that wish."

_"Give me a lift and I'll help ya',"_Eli growled over the phone.

"I might just let that happen," Cyborg added before Robin reached over and tugged Beast Boy away from the phone.

"We'll be over here, Raven, with Beast Boy joining us." The changeling whimpered as he was dragged into the living room by the other two boys. Starfire however quietly hovered over to Raven cautiously, peering at the phone in confusion.

"I am most confused and abounding with wonder, your friend is a machine?" The simple odd question actually managed to distract the two angry teens, saving Beast Boy's life in the process as Raven's eyes slowly returned to normal starting with the irises first.

"No, he is talking through the machine, Starfire," Raven explained while moving closer to the phone but avoided touching it as she was likely to destroy it if she wasn't careful while still seething. "I didn't expect you to call here Eli."

There was a slow growl before a sigh came out across the line. _"It's the only number I have to get in contact with ya'. And I don't exactly have extra money for a cell phone for ya'," _he added, causing Raven to grimace a little before letting out an exasperated sigh.

"I haven't really needed one. Though that may change now," she admitted before looking at Starfire who was actually being a bit quiet. _'I wonder why,' _she thought to herself.

_"Sorry about that, didn't expect ya' loudmouth friend to answer," _Raven sighed again before resolving to ruin Beast Boy's day with hellish glares and scowls. _"I guess checking in on ya' right now is out of the question."_

"Not entirely, but now the team knows. The boys are dealing with Beast Boy," she quickly explained, feeling a little annoyed by Eli's call but only because of the small trouble it will bring up.

_"Hope they deck him for me. What about the other wain, Starfire?" _he asked.

"I am here, friend of Raven's. Hello!" Raven smirked a little as she visualized Eli's confused face and nearly could feel the confusion coming from his location in the city.

_"Hey and I guess that answers that. Ya' doin' alright 'side from that, Raven?" _She inwardly noted the use of her name more than often, but easily filed it as merely a precaution to avoid using too much Irish.

"Well aside from Beast Boy. I presume you are heading out to lunch," she stated while doing a fairly good job of remaining in control of her emotions and maintaining only a slightly expressive tone. Just enough to show a bit of relaxation and also feeling a little warm about the fact that Eli actually risked contacting her in such a manner.

_"Me and the savant will be meeting up with the flirt, finally getting out of summer school. Peachy ain't it?"_he sarcastically asked and Raven inwardly smiled as karma decided to right her irritation with the Celt.

"Absolutely lovely. I assume that means a heavier night shift for you," the hidden message went over Starfire's head as she tilted her head in confusion.

"Flirt? Savant? More friends of Raven?" the girl asked.

Raven flatly glanced at Starfire before idly smiling a little at the girl's naivety. _'If only she knew the flirt is Kitten, and if only that weren't the case I might correct her,' _she reasoned before speaking.

"Acquaintances." Starfire made a soft O with her mouth before nodding.

_"And speaking of the two, I see the flirt already. I'll see you around Raven, take care of yourself. Kick a little arse for me, and save a piece of ya' teammate's arse for me," _Eli stated, and Raven actually let a smirk form on her lips, ignoring the fact that he had just cussed twice in front of Starfire. Technically.

"You can get the ashes Eli, good luck with the flirt," she quipped with a small hint of amusement and a glint of what could pass off as playfulness.

_"Feck, I'll need a taser for that one, later." _And with a click the call ended, leaving Raven actually feel a bit better than even before the call. Though it was no actual conversation with Eli, it still made Raven feel a little happy that the Celt called her.

Not to mention it would be amusing to see Starfire repeat the words to Robin and watch his face go so many shades of red and white within seconds. _'Bittersweet amusement, yet amusement nonetheless,' _she reasoned, taking a deep breath as she turned to look at Starfire and could dimly feel the girl's excitement and her "curiosity abounds".

And a quick glance at the boys on her team revealed that though annoyed with Beast Boy, they were still curious as ever. Robin most of all as their leader and Raven inwardly recited her mantra to herself. _'If not for Kitten having lunch with him, I might feel a slight bit upset. If,' _she told herself while already seeing Eli suffer a similar trial as herself.

Curious friends.

*** * * TT * * * **

**Hidden Location**

Rose silently adjusted her ear-piece and microphone hidden in her half-helmet before pulling it on. Orange on the right and black on the left in perfect symmetry with her functioning left eye covered with a one-way lens. She was actually dressed in a semi-familiar uniform; a full body suit actually split into two parts; a pale cobalt top that went from her neck down to her hands in the form of gloves with a gray neck and a jet black bottom made of synthetic titanium cloth with a layer of Kevlar underneath it.

She had two bracers on of jet black color made of depleted promethium alloy and reach over her wrist flexibly to cover the back of her hands and knuckles in the form of studs. Armor plates of the same material were on her thighs and top of her boots with two patches over her shoulders and a black tank-top made of the material over her bodysuit. A belt of steel gray color was worn at the waist with pouches holding smoke-pellets, flash-bang bombs, and even a few other surprises and was looped around her thighs in military fashion.

The girl's long hair was pulled underneath her helmet with only the barest amount showing and tied up via metal clasps. She even bore flexible knee-pads and elbow pads of depleted promethium alloy as well as sturdy boots with a pair of odd sheaths at the back of her belt and a dual katana sheath positioned within easy reach across her spine.

Rinku was beside her, only the girl now had dark red shades on just big enough to cover her eyes with a dark red cloth mask up around her neck to her nose with dark circuit lines in the material. The girl also wore a long black coat with her hood down and hair covered by a black helmet with only a small green N on the inside of her shades. Nothing else had changed about her uniform, except her tattoos were covered up and black tape over her once exposed fingertips.

The rest of the mercenary team were in darker garb with minimal skin exposed. The Norseman merely had on a long-sleeved black shirt with a black metal mask exposing only his eyes via blood red lenses and with a long red sheath over his hair and actually appearing to be sectioned. He also had on black military gloves with weighted sections on the knuckles and back of the hands with a dark war-hammer at his side, jewelry absent sans his chain necklace.

The wispy blonde merely wore a black mask like the Norseman only hers had hard to spot black lens against steel gray paint with her hair hidden underneath a midnight blue cover. She actually wore gloves like the Norseman only sleek for a woman and had what appeared to be a thick case with her and sat silently beside Dietrich with Cheshire across from the Norseman, beside Rose.

Dietrich merely had a complete mask and helmet with dark gray lens and was secured via magnetic locks in the back and had a filter in the mouth to allow him to breathe through it and only the slight grooves indicated it was even removable. Like the rest, he too wore full gloves and had two MP5K submachine guns on his back in holsters with a pair of Sphinx AT 2000 pistols, all black with a military belt harness on including ammunition and only Dietrich knew what else.

They were all on benches with minimal light to cast eerie shadows over all of them. Rose looked over the group before turning her gaze solely on Dietrich who tapped his mask on the side, causing the mouth to pull apart by hidden mechanisms and his lens to slide in a similar manner.

"You have your objectives, Cinderblock is already in position with his units. The rest are in position, and two squads are available for you, Midas," Rose added, glancing at the Norseman who smiled behind his mask. "Timing is crucial, no one must be anything but correctly timed. Understood?"

"Understood Ms. Wilson," Dietrich stated firmly.

"As expected. Any police element is to be incapacitated, I have no intention of bringing any attention from the Justice League or others," Rose stated coldly, glancing at Rinku who merely curled her lips in a pleased smirk behind her mask.

"Tell that to Midas, he's the sadist here," the Norseman merely chuckled, darkness sounding in his voice.

"I can't help if I get carried away when I have fun." The unnamed girl turned and glared at Midas, tapping a switch on her helmet to let her lenses and mouth become visible.

"You will follow your objective my cousin, or you will be punished," Rose merely watched as the Norseman became silent and then chuckled again. "Crystal?"

"Clear, little cousin, clear," he laughed, the dark voice echoing in the confined space.

"All the employees have left, the first party is in position as predicted madam," Wintergreen said over the radio and Rose merely gave a sliver of a smile. "The Wisp Candidate is amongst them."

The pale blond let her smile grow a little further as the room oddly came to a start and doors opened to reveal the darkness of a warehouse with minimal light inside. "Then it is time," she announced.

Dozens upon dozens of white eyes snapped open and the dim light, the forms of Agni sized men could be made out. Each one wearing the same uniform; jet black with a titanium-steel alloy collar around their necks and mounted to the base by studs with skin-tight cloth and wearing steel-gray bracers and grieves with armored flexible boots and wearing steel gray gloves. The sole distinguishing marking on their mask was a single large circle of either red or orange, and with small blasters at their sides.

"Now the fun begins," Agni laughed, hefting the hammer onto his shoulder as the rest of his team stood up and they all took off.

*** * * TT * * * **

**Downtown San Francisco, Cafe**

A groan escaped Eli's lips as Kitten and Alexis laughed, with the shorter blond leaning on the taller for support. _'Feck ya' karma. Feck ya' bleedin' life,' _he thought darkly, trying to ignore the glances shot at their table. Mostly of confusion and curiosity but a few were actually annoyed not that the trio really reacted to them.

"It wasn't that feckin' funny and ya' both know it..." he murmured while wishing nothing more than to actually fly to the Titan's Tower and smack the taste out of Beast Boy's mouth.

"I think I'm going to break a rib!" Kitten squealed, face red from the exertion of laughing so much while Alexis tried to gasp for air.

"Partial lies! I saw the look on your face, you so wanted to reach through the phone and strangle him, and you were smirking when you were talking to her," Alexis managed to get out before holding her hands. "I need oxygen, someone get me an air tank please!"

"And little miss Star? That poor naive girl, I would pay to see her face if she realized who you were really talking about!" Eli just shook his head at the blond pair and turned his gaze down to the table.

The little Eve drone was currently on the table actually watching the two girls in confusion. She turned around slowly and her camera slowly closed and open in a robotic blink straight at Eli.

"Ya' know it's sad that the only one who is honestly on my side right now is Eve here," he stated, placing a hand on the table and the little robot skittered across and into his palm. "And she doesn't really understand why you two are laughing so bad," Eli added.

"Oh trust me, if she was at that level, she'd be laughing with us!" blurted Alexis, managing to at least suck in a few deep breaths of air.

"I think I just might send Beast Boy a fan-letter for this," Kitten admitted causing Alexis to grin and nod furiously. "I know! Let's both send him one and a picture, without him knowing it's me of course."

The girl genius blushed a bit and perked up. "I don't know about that but maybe a fan-letter will do," she suggested only for Eli to cock an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I can't see savant here doing it, no offense. Ya' don't seem like the type, unlike the flirting pink one here." He jerked a thumb in Kitten's direction yet the girl actually bowed gracefully while both managed to get their laughter under control.

"Well I can't really, my parents would kill me if I dared send any boy a photo of me," Alexis quickly blurted, holding up her hands defensively while Eve scampered across Eli's shoulders and down his other arm back onto the table. "And your dad would throw a fit if you did that Kitten."

"Not after I tell him some of the story and the why," she countered with a cat-like grin on her face. "Then again, I suppose I shouldn't for your sake 'Lexi," the girl teased, nudging the shorter blonde who turned pink. "Since it would mean more if it was from you."

"Terminate that line!" she yelped and slapped her hands over her mouth.

"Right, before or after you get everyone to stop staring at ya'?" Eli questioned. And just as he said, everyone was staring at the trio with a mixture of confusion once more but this time more irritation and wonder than before.

The girl genius quickly slumped in her chair in a desperate attempt to hide herself. Eli raised an eyebrow and glanced at Kitten only to find her looking as if she had just found the juiciest scoop in the history of gossip and secrets. '_Mean more from her eh? Sounds like someone has a crush,' _he thought and smirked a little.

"I think I want to know a bit more, mind fillin' me in?" he asked Kitten. And like that, Alexis had shot back up in her seat, eyes wide as she nearly jumped over the table and Eve scampered out of her way.

"Please don't, I won't mention the call again! Come on Kitten, don't tell him..." she pleaded yet the taller blonde merely smiled and giggled.

"Maybe... then again, maybe not..." she playfully mused aloud while Eli rolled his eyes.

"No one is safe from ya' are they?" he asked, causing Kitten to gasp in mock shock.

"I'm offended L', I'm just saying that Alexis would love to-" she was cut off by the girl genius in question actually clamping her hands over her mouth.

"-Don't you dare finish that, or so help me I'll remote hack your computer!" The young Celt merely sipped his tea in amusement, watching the two as Kitten's eyes widened.

The blonde gulped and gave a slow nod before Alexis removed her hands slowly. "I'm starting to wonder if you are as innocent as I thought you were Alexis. Hacking computer, sounds illegal ya' know," he mused with a playful grin.

"Hey, I only threaten if someone crosses my secrecy line. And only because the university has stupid firewalls when it comes to databases," she replied, holding up a finger in the air as if she were lecturing.

"And she gets carried away in her work, as usual~" Kitten threw in and Alexis turned pink on cue.

"It's not like I do it on purpose!" she whined, looking at Eli. "You believe me don't you?"

"I dunno who to believe at the moment, the hacker savant or the gossipin' flirt," Eli stated without missing a beat, causing both girls to stop and lightly pout and glare at the Celt who merely shrugged off their looks.

The two looked at him before looking to Eve who innocently blinked her camera shutter and promptly scampered up to her creator/mother. "We must torment this one my dear friend and little baby girl," Alexis stated, putting on a completely fake but well sounding tone of a professional business woman while petting Eve.

"I concur Ms. Quart, I believe we must inform Ms. Fhiagh's associates of who she is fraternizing with," Kitten added and both picked up their drinks and sipped them with their pinkies held out in the process.

"Really fair ya' two. It's two-my bad, three," he corrected himself as Eve beeped sharply. "Girls against one guy here. I need a 'mate or less wains around me," Eli added as both girls broke down into laughter.

Eve suddenly whistled sharply and repeatedly causing the trio to blink. "Huh? What is it baby girl?" Alexis asked her little machine as she continued to whistle and beep frantically, causing their fellow patrons to actually do a double-take and then glared.

"Did we say something wrong?" Kitten asked in confusion.

"Don't ask me, I'm not the nerdlinger-" Eli started to say when the glass panes of the cafe front windows were suddenly shattered by several black blurs.

Immediately people began screaming as the blurs revealed themselves as darkly dressed men in metal armor with a single dark red circle in the middle of their mask. Each one dressed the same and were already in motion with weapons in hand and firing laser shots at the ceiling. The civilians all started to panic and move away from the shots while a group of the men went straight for the trio.

Alexis barely had time to toss Eve up onto the ceiling when two gloved hands grabbed her by the arms. Another two of the men went for Kitten, firmly grabbing her shoulders while the remaining three formed a wall where the table had been and launched themselves at Eli.

The Celt took a second to recover as the first one pinned him against the wall by his shoulders and then his arms. His gaze briefly went over to Alexis and Kitten who were being hauled away and Eli's eyes widened for a split-second. Then they turned to dangerous cold blue bolts in the remaining half a second.

Eli pulled both legs up into his chest and sharply kicked the first man, hard. The man was surprisingly only knocked back a half a foot, and the Celt swore he had just kicked Cinderblock and not another human. Yet he shoved the thought aside as he heard Kitten and Alexis scream, swiftly pulling the two men at his sides together with a sharp strong tug. Both jerked towards each other in surprise in time to crash with the third, loosening their grips on Eli's arms in the process.

Just enough that he braced briefly before viciously head-butting the man across from him with every ounce of force he had, stunning him. Eli quickly grabbed the other two men by their necks and slammed them together before yanking them apart. At the same time, the first one staggered forward only for Eli to come in like black lightning. One fist connected with the man's gut before being struck right in the jaw with a resounding crack from the force, sending him back in a daze.

Eli snatched up a chair and broke it on the man to his left before using the space to deliver a sharp back-kick to the third one's chest. "Fuck off!" he barked angrily, whirling around on the one he decked only to stare in surprise.

For right where he struck was an exposed smooth steel-gray patch of skin. He quickly looked around to see the other men already scaring the last of the civilians out of the back door or into the bathrooms, actually bracing them to keep them inside. The Celt dimly acknowledged a disturbing fact that the only life he could sense was from the civilians.

None of the men around him had a single ounce of life to their beings.

"Robots?" Eli questioned for a second before the seemingly stunned trio launched themselves at him.

The teen snarled as the single thought of restraint flew out the window right as he also caught sight of his two friends being hauled into a large black van. Eli swiftly shot forward and punched the first robot commando in the face, crunching the metal in the process. He swiftly pulled back and dropped down onto his back with both hands flat against the floor, kicking out into the chest of the two commandos coming at his sides sharply.

Both flew back from the blows allowing Eli to bring his legs back together and lightly flipped forward onto his feet. Eve suddenly dropped down from the ceiling onto his head as the teen quickly took off, avoiding laser fire narrowly.

"Damn it, what the bleedin' feck is happenin'?" Eli demanded, breaking out into a full run while Eve clung to his hair tightly. _'I have to catch up!' _he thought, grinding his teeth while bolting through an alley-way.

He barely got out in record time when several laser shots forced him to turn on a dime. A glance revealed more robot commandos on the rooftops, sniping at him and forcing him to turn. Just as he did, Eve suddenly whistled sharply and clamped onto his shoulder.

"I can't speak machine-" he started to say when Eve pointed straight ahead at a black van that was actually heading right to WayneTechnology.

The very one that he worked at as well as Alexis.

"Shit! I'm praying that alarm gets Raven's attention!" Eli blurted before dashing after the van, weaving around laser shots with maximum speed, focused solely on catching up with his friends.

* * *

First in an actual arc! I hope this chapter put you in an eager mood!

Reviews are deeply appreciated, flames will be analyzed and stored for winter use. Either way, please kindly submit a review. Thank you.

**Konpeki Rei**


	9. Test by Trial Part II

**AN: **It's been a while, and with good reason again. Life is hectic, as always, and on top of a fiction project that requires a lot of my attention, I've been a little stuck in some later chapters of GR. And I prefer to be ahead of the actual chapters I can upload so I don't fall behind. Not to mention I still need to get around to editing the past chapters to incorporate the lack of ectoplasm involved. This isn't Danny Phantom after all.

In other news, I am pleased to see my KI:U fanfics are still doing good. It'll be a little bit longer until I get the third one done, just so much work to do first. And I apologize for the wait everyone, just been hard to get to.

Lastly, thanks again to my wonderful beta-reader n00dl3gal for her great work and review! Also, thanks and appreciation goes out to Whisper Dark Rose and PurpleStarsGreenFire for their wonderful reviews! I always look forward to reviews about my stories! Without further ado, on with the story!

Disclaimer: I own no franchise, only my characters which I have created. Please enjoy the newest chapter! Things are going to get interesting.

_Italics_ with 'dialogue' are thoughts  
_Italics_ with "dialogue" is speech through phones/communicators

**Chapter 9: Test by Trial pt II**

*** * * TT * * ***

**San Francisco City Prison Road**

Robin was doing his absolute best to remain calm and collected but was having every bit of difficulty. He had been trained by the very best, but even Batman had a nemesis that he refused to let anyone else face due to the danger of the man. The Joker. And somehow, the trait passed itself down to his protégées. For Batgirl, her unfortunate problem was the Scarecrow of all people.

For Robin however, his nemesis came in the form of one of the most dangerous criminals to ever strike San Francisco. Slade. A powerful man who had terrorized the city not with crime sprees or diabolical schemes. Instead, he had only one goal in mind and sought it with such diligence and dedication that it frightened many: the defeat and destruction of the Teen Titans.

Though simple sounding, the plan would have more effects than people realized. It would mean a severe blow to Robin's generation of superheroes and crime-fighters with the loss of five of their strongest, and worse, Slade did not hold back much from what he could tell. The man used any means possible while he was alive; actually turning Robin against his friends through means of dangerous nanotechnology, fusing three villains together to create a monstrosity, mass production of highly trained robotic commandos, use of advanced technology to target the Tower itself, manipulating anyone he found interest in for his plans, and that was just before they stopped him at the loss of Terra.

For all his lack of monetary crimes and history it seemed, Slade was dangerous enough to compare to Gotham's criminal elite. In short, Robin classified Slade as a top threat in the same league as Brainiac, Lex Luthor, the Joker, and Darkseid. The worst threats alive, even if only two were on the planet.

_'I hope that I'm wrong and that these are just robot commandos someone stole from Slade,'_ he inwardly prayed, driving on his R-Cycle alongside Cyborg's T-Car. Starfire was flying in the air above the vehicle with Beast Boy transformed as a peregrine falcon. Lastly, Raven was riding with Cyborg in the T-Car.

"Cyborg, what's the status on the prison right now?" he asked over the helmet's radio.

"Cinderblock is already through the front wall, but the guards have no idea where he's headed," the literal cyborg replied, grinding his teeth worriedly while pressing his foot down on the gas pedal. "And I'm still getting that signal from that cafe about a break-in."

"Should not one of us go to investigate?" asked Starfire with concern.

"A small cafe break-in is something the police can handle. But Cinderblock and whoever is helping him is a bigger concern," Robin explained, frowning behind his helmet as he couldn't get the image of the infamous face of the robotic commandos that Slade employed on the prison security camera.

"You mean the robots themselves that are aiding him," Raven corrected before pausing to frown worriedly.

She could feel a strong emotional aura and it was gnawing at the back of her mind. Namely as it was Eli's and that alone gave her reason to worry as she had known just how strong it could be when he was particularly agitated or emotional.

_'Something is wrong, I can sense it. But the only thing that I can think of is that Eli was at the cafe break-in. He is more than capable of dealing with an armed robber,'_ she reasoned, yet still scowled silently. It was bugging her and the fact that she could feel agitation and anger from him was a bad sign.

She didn't notice Cyborg glance at her with concern, noticing the way she furrowed her brow and was subconsciously gripping her arms tighter. "Yo Rae, are you still mad about what BB did?" he asked, causing her to snap out of pondering to look at him.

"I will deal with him later," she assured the large teen and they could both hear a scared cry from the changeling. "Something about the cafe break-in concerns me. It happened at the same time as Cinderblock's appearance, correct?" she questioned.

"I'll double-check the timestamp but it's probably a coincidence or something," Cyborg assured her yet Raven still frowned.

"What if it is not? What connection would there be between this cafe and Cinderblock's appearance?" Starfire pointed out causing Cyborg to grimace and frown at the simple possibility.

"Right now that's up to the police, we're almost at the prison!" The Boy Wonder announced as the building came into view.

All five teens could see several infamously familiar robot commandos already moving through the prison and with several already turning to them. Yet instead of opening fire on them oddly enough, they all moved out of the way and even the ones on the wall seemed to retreat inside.

Robin felt the hairs rise on the back of his neck at the odd sight and frowned. _'Are they pulling back because Cinderblock found his objective? Or are they planning to ambush us inside?'_ he wondered and quickly pushed the R-Cycle to it's maximum throttle with Cyborg already lead-footing the gas-pedal.

The Titans made it to the prison with a few of the robots firing off laser shots at the two fliers and the R-Cycle and T-Car. Namely at the tires but both drivers managed to swerve around the shots and Cyborg actually slid his car into a sharp drift, smashing two robots in the process while Robin merely flipped off his cycle. The vehicle continued even without the continued acceleration, tearing down a small line of robots.

Starfire quickly hurled a volley of star-bolts into the fleeing robots as two groups came out from the hidden shadows of the courtyard, already firing at them. As soon as the first few shots narrowly missed him, Beast Boy shifted into a turtle to drop like a stone and then morphed into a jaguar. The large green feline landed on all fours and shot forward and slammed a robot down before ripping it apart with his bare teeth.

A few moved around Beast Boy only for a dark energy covered titanium-steel alloy door to flatten them. Raven flew up through the sunroof of the T-Car, already chanting and bringing up the other door as a weapon. Behind her Cyborg bolted out with sonic cannon already primed and fired into a column of robots, destroying them in the process. Robin aided with a round of explosive discs before whipping out his Bo staff to deliver a powerful hammer strike to the head of one unfortunate robot.

"Titans, we need to split into two groups. Cyborg and I will go after Cinderblock, the rest of you clear the courtyard-" Robin started to say when a black blur came smashing into him with a vicious flying kick.

The Boy Wonder brought up his Bo Staff to skillfully block the strike. His attacker however pushed off with ease, flipping through the air to land on their feet, coattails snapping in the air with the move. Strangely the robots suddenly disengaged from their fights to take up different positions, switching their blasters out for steel-knuckles, claws that came out of their mechanical fingers, and even taking out their own collapsible Bo Staffs and even some had Tonfas.

Beast Boy swiftly morphed back into his human form, eyes narrowed and a low growl already emanating from his throat as the changeling turned around to face Robin's attacker. Starfire and Raven remained in the air, eyeing the machines as they made a wall in front of the prison wall entrance yet not the prison entrance itself.

Robin eyed the unusual formation before focusing on his attacker who merely stepped forward, rolling up the coat sleeves to reveal dark red bracers line with metal plates. On the underside was a set of four magnetic locks and the fighter merely locked the sleeves in placed via straps on the coat.

"Get out of our way or you're going to get hurt," Cyborg warned as Beast Boy walked up to stand beside the other two boys, already growling furiously.

"Or we'll make you," he added, seething at the sight of the numerous robot commandos. Reminders of Slade, the very man that had taken the girl he loved away from him and hurt him worse than even the enemies of the Doom Patrol had.

Instead of a verbal response, Rinku shot forward in a high-speed blur, already in front of the three boys before Robin lashed out with his Bo Staff in a sharp forward step and a blow meant for between the eyes. A reprimanding strike meant to be used to stun but also amongst martial artists it was a sign that the user believed they were superior.

The short girl snarled beneath her mask while suddenly coming to a stop and caught the weapon in her hand. But she did not stop there as she kicked Robin's right hand sharply, forcing him to pull the hand back. Rinku ripped the Bo Staff out of his hands as Cyborg charged at her, only the girl whipped around in a spinning set of back steps. As soon as Cyborg had missed with a few punches, Rinku went into one last spin while moving the Bo Staff around her waist with expert skill.

She quickly whipped the staff around horizontally, striking the side of Cyborg's head with shocking force thanks to the momentum she built up. Beast Boy took the chance to strike, morphing into a large Bengal Tiger with teeth bared and claws extended. The fearsome roar ripped out of his throat like the embodiment of primal power that the changeling represented.

It was all that more shocking when Rinku twirled the staff while bolting forward and struck the ground with it like a pole-vaulter. The girl swung herself up into the air, perfectly placing herself in a balancing position at the top for a moment before releasing it and letting the momentum swing her over Beast Boy's head and back. While swinging over his head and going into an aerial roll, Rinku sharply kicked into the changeling's back, knocking him to the ground painfully and forcing him to morph back.

Robin quickly shot forward to intercept her as she landed yet the girl already whipped around in a sharp spin without twisting her ankles. The sound of metal striking metal rang out as Rinku had her metal bracer covered arm already up to block.

Yet the Boy Wonder was already pushing off in a move similar to Rinku who merely took a moment to back-step and avoid Cyborg's attempt at a spear tackle and whipped around to sharply delivering a heel kick to his head. She caught sight of Beast Boy charging as a bull this time while Robin got out his bird-a-rangs while the girls watched the fight in shock.

The large green bull seemed to be ready to mow her down while Cyborg bolted out of the way and Robin hurled his trademark weapons at Rinku. The girl whipped around, coat flapping in the wind before she grabbed onto the horns and pulled herself up.

Without any way to stop his weapons, Robin rolled out of the way as they hit Beast Boy right in the snout and face, causing him to groan and swiftly shifted back into his human form. Rinku had already jumped off and landed beside Robin who tried to give her a sharp side kick, feinting to try and hit her head instead of her side but her hand shot out like lightning to catch it firmly.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Rinku looked to see a gate half flying at her and swiftly jerked Robin's foot away while releasing it, back-flipping while the Boy Wonder moved back to help Beast Boy and Cyborg up.

The short girl surprised them once more though as she used a robot to push off then twirl and flip over the large missile. At the same time, Starfire quickly launched a furious barrage of star-bolts at her.

To the Tamaranean's shock, Rinku was already bringing her bracers up into the path of each star-bolt. The shots impacted solidly, exploding in the process. Each shot kicked up a small puff of smoke and by the time the final shot exploded a large smoke cloud had been formed. All the Titans watched anxiously to see the result with Starfire and Raven ready to launch another attack at Rinku.

"Who the hell is she?" Cyborg questioned, rubbing his aching jaw despite his depleted promethium alloy construction.

"She didn't even blink when I morphed." The changeling felt a bit of fear as though his power was limited to only animals, they were still primal forces of nature. Even Mammoth feared his Tyrannosaurus Rex form, and he was a metahuman. "Dude, what is she?" he added.

"Dude, why did I ask such a dumb question?" a mocking voice rang out, distorted as the smoke cleared and Starfire let out a shock gasped. "Come on, show me something impressive," she added with a hint of playfulness.

Rinku stood firmly in place with lingering traces of smoke coming from her bracers. Only they were completely intact with her coat sleeves barely even singed, though the hood had been blown back to reveal her head.

The helmet was actually only covering the top of her head and hid the girl's hair, with two small hanging strap ends reaching her neck. The shades were still in place only she secured it by pulling on the ends and actually stretched them to reach the back and locked them together. Effectively turning it into a pair of goggles to secure them in place as she smirked beneath her half-mask.

"Who are you?" Robin demanded yet Rinku just moved her finger from side to side with a smirk.

"You've got to work for that, bird boy," she taunted and the Boy Wonder narrowed his eyes at the remark.

"Hold on." The Titans glanced at Cyborg who had a finger to his ear as if hearing something. "The Tower just bounced a break-in report to me-it's from the WayneTechnology Research and Development Center," he stated, eyeing Rinku who actually frowned and scowled. "It could be the HIVE."

_'Agni, you stupid son of a bitch. You were supposed to be in there already!'_ Rinku scowled and her sudden burst of rage alerted Raven. The sorceress narrowed her eyes while inwardly feeling a spike of concern.

_'That's where Eli works with that girl, Alexis but they should still be at lunch...'_ she trailed off as she recalled the anger she felt coming from what could only be Eli earlier. _'There was a break-in of a cafe, could it be the same one they were at? Why?'_ she wondered as the feeling of anxiety and worry began to grow.

The pyrokinetic quickly tilted her head down, subtly whispering into her radio. "Cinder reporting in, I've made contact with the Titans but they are aware of Midas and his break-in," she growled, clenching her fists tightly but keeping the desire to conjure flames under wraps. "That idiot is ruining the plan!"

_"I will make him rue this foolish mistake,"_ Rinku scoffed at the sound of her female superior. _"Dietrich is already making his way to his objective, what are your orders ma'am?"_

_"There is always a chance of a complication. I am having a squad of the commandos free any empowered prisoner that will attack the Titans,_" she listened to Rose's cold voice as the Titans started to slow pull back to their vehicles. _"Cinder, Aero, stall the Titans. They must focus on the prison, for any reason they have to."_

_"Understood ma'am. Engaging."_ Rinku smirked as she saw Cyborg open the door to his car.

"You sorry bastards are going to wish I didn't hear that," she stated to the confusion of the Titans. "No one's leaving- I'm going to make this a bitchin' fight!"

Suddenly a loud shot rang out and the front tire of the R-Cycle exploded. More shots rang out, taking out the tires while Rinku quickly brought her arm up, already grinning wildly. The fiery fighter pointed her hands forward; one towards the R-Cycle while the other was aimed at the two. She simply concentrated on the air molecules and calmly snapped her fingers, and all hell broke loose.

Beast Boy and Robin had only seconds to brace themselves as the space before them exploded violently. At the same time another violent explosion tore into the R-Cycle's fuel tank, causing it to explode into a raging fireball while the two boys were blown off their feet. Raven quickly used her powers to pull all three back as another round of shots tore into the T-Car before hitting the gas-tank and turning it into a second roaring fireball.

Raven felt her eyes widened before focusing on trying to pinpoint the source of the shots. At the same time, Rinku turned her gaze onto the sorceress before snapping and Raven sensed the fiery spike of energy in front of her. She formed a quick barrier while releasing her friends, letting them recover on their own while Starfire had to drop onto the ground when a shot nearly clipped her shoulder.

The blast thankfully was heavily absorbed by the shield but the shockwave still knocked her down into a low hover. At the same time, a combined group of the robots broke off and bolted into the prison, leaving the rest to moved to the walls to give the rest space and act as relief while the rest began slowly encircling the Titans.

"Damn it, she's got someone sniping us! Can you sense them Raven?" Cyborg asked, already feeling his anger explode from the destruction of his car but also the surprise assault.

"I was stopped before I could finish tracing them and I doubt they will be staying still," she remarked as Rinku merely cracked her neck and fingers, already swaying on her feet fluidly. "And she'll blow me out of the sky before I do."

"We've never had to face a sniper before..." the changeling growled out, his fear clear tangible in the air and Raven couldn't help but agree with the fear. "This is a trap, a really good one."

"How do we get out of it then?" Raven wondered idly the same question as Starfire as Robin glanced at Rinku who was slowly advancing for a moment.

"We have to fight our way out. The sniper only chose to force us into a group, but they haven't fired again," he quickly deduced, using the training and experience under the Dark Knight while also glancing around. "If they wanted to take us out, they would have done so already. We'll use that to our advantage, and we will get out of this alive."

Rinku suddenly shot forward in an explosive burst of speed, reaching them before Raven could finish her incantation and flipped up into the air. The girl smiled and merely snapped once more, concentrating solely on the ground.

A fiery explosion ripped the pavement apart while knocking the Titans apart with the robots immediately intercepting them to stall them. Rinku landed effortlessly, legs spread apart and hands on the ground like a gymnast, eyes fixed on the closest Titan.

"Now who said I was going to let any of you little bitches get away?" she teased as she heard a fierce battle-cry and quickly snapped forward, dodging a quickly recovered Robin who had a new Bo Staff in hand.

_'If you are any bit the person I believe you to be Eli, you'll be in the thick of this like I am,_' Raven thought, forced to quickly shoot back and send two fists of darkness forward to knock the robots attacking her back.

*** * * TT * * ***

**WayneTechnology Research and Development Center**

Eli quietly pressed himself up against the security guard entrance with Eve still perched on his shoulder. The Celt slowly leaned forward a little to peer into the window and spotted no one inside the entrance. He reached up and gently plucked Eve off before slipping the door open and slunk inside, catching the door to let it slowly close without a sound.

_'I need to get to the locker room and switch to my other uniform. Then I'll try to track down Alexis and Kitten,'_ he paused in thought to glance at Eve. The little machine was silent though whether it was the situation of sneaking in or the kidnapping of her creator was unknown. 'I don't know what to do with her, I'll have to take her with me, somehow,' he realized and swiftly snuck to the locker room.

Irish Luck showed itself as within no time Eli had not only switched out his uniform but had the duffel bag hidden in an air vent. Eli adjusted the gloves before Eve suddenly perked up and scampered down his arm.

"Eve? What are you doing?" The little machine softly tugged on his gloved hand and tapped the armor on the back of the hand. Curious, Eli lifted the hand up though before he could ask Eve anything she began pointing like a little bloodhound.

"Are you saying something?" he asked and Eve quickly gave an awkward nod of her little body. "Okay, so this direction... something about it is important?" he murmured.

Another nod.

"Okay, what's in that direction? Your mama?" Eli questioned, honestly throwing the first thing that popped into his mind.

A furious nod and this time Eve sharply pointed at the wall.

_'Hang on you two, I'm coming!_' he thought before looking at Eve and frowning. "I don't know what will happen if I turn incorporeal while holding you, I might just drop you," he stated and Eve turned around before pointing up at the air-vent he shoved his duffel bag in.

The teen cocked an eyebrow before gently placing Eve in the air vent before closing it. Immediately the little machine began scampering off and Eli took a moment to smirk as he could imagine the look of determination Eve had if she were human.

"Brave little artificial wain, ain'tcha," he mused before turning incorporeal with a thought. _'Now for my part,'_ Eli firmly thought as the thought to protect his friends began to bring a strange fire to the young man's blood.

The teen easily rose up off the ground on mere will alone before shooting off like a rocket, not even flinching as he passed through solid matter. Walls and doors, even a few robot commandos that managed to come into his way, nothing slowed him down. It took him only a few minutes to reach a familiar room; the intern research workroom.

At once Eli noticed the robot commandos gathering up all the computers and research papers. The tools were ignored though along with anything that didn't immediately relate to the projects the interns worked on. A small glance at Alexis' work area revealed a large yet strangely large door shaped hole in the wall. The back-street behind the building was visible as well as the familiar black van he had been chasing in the first place. He floated over only to freeze in place in the air as Alexis and Kitten were just a few feet from the gaping hole, still restrained by robot commandos.

Neither one looked injured but Alexis was completely worried and fearful. A quick glance revealed why; the robot commandos had not only the docking stations tucked in cases but metal cartons to contain her robots. In fact, Eli noticed that the robots were taking particular care with the young girl's projects and work, even putting the NRT device itself in a metal case with complete cushioning put inside.

_"Feckin' hell. They're after the little savant and her machines. I hope Eve isn't going to come in anytime soon!"_ He swore aloud, none of the robots or Kitten and Alexis noticing him. Though Alexis did jerk her head up when she heard a sharp series of whistles and beeps.

Eli whipped around in mid-air to see the six robots he had avoided earlier coming in, with one of them holding Eve in their grasp. _"Nora Oh Batty,"_ he cursed and clenched both fists tightly.

"EVE! Let my baby go!" Alexis snapped, trying to wrestle her arms free. "Baby girl just stay calm, mama's going to save you, I promise!" she urged while Eli nodded silently. _'I need to take down these robots first and then get them out of here,'_ he thought, slowly descending to the floor.

"You bastards are going to regret this," Kitten growled, seething furiously and Eli had to at least commend the girl for her guts. "Daddy is going to rip you apart, and that's if the bodyguard doesn't get you first."

"Some bodyguard you must have if they aren't even here to protect you." Eli stopped and quickly focused on the first actual voice he heard from the people that took Kitten and Alexis. An actual human voice, only it was dark and sounded demonic, unnatural.

Eli felt uneasy not by the speaker's six foot height but his stocky muscular build that rippled beneath the long sleeves covering his arm and his shirt itself. The black metal mask set him on edge with the red lenses like small pools of blood glaring at him even though he was incorporeal. Even more disturbing was the fact that he had a weapon, a black war-hammer on hand and was dressed in military fashion.

Even stranger was the way dark red metal covered the back of his head, like a sheath for hair perhaps. And then there was the man's posture that reminded Eli too much of his past as a bouncer. It was the walk of a brawler; a fighter who did not care for rules much or disciplined fighting techniques but fought with instinct.

"Oh hell," Alexis whispered, staring up at the man who frankly towered over her at one foot and seven inches. The man's height alone and size actually made Kitten pause and close her mouth.

"And I thought Daddy was big," Kitten muttered, shuddering as the man did not have any bit of warmth like her father did. At least towards her and she frowned as Alexis shrunk underneath the man's gaze. "Who are you?" she questioned sharply.

"Midas. So tell me, where is your bodyguard, Wisp?" Agni questioned and Eli immediately stiffened at the mention of his name. "I'll be annoyed if he ran away," he admitted with a thoughtful tone.

"You wish. The last person who tried anything around me had the shit beat out of him." Eli would have rolled his eyes if the situation weren't as tense as Johnny Rancid was one of his more vicious fights. The motor-head was trying to hit on Kitten for amusement, until the Celt stepped in and a fight ensued.

Though Eli had won, it had taken a solid half hour as the young Irishman had to deal with a larger opponent. _'But at least Johnny Rancid wasn't very built in his lower body, unlike this damned fucknut,'_ he thought, eyeing the large man who actually let out a barking laugh. And with the distortion, it sounded inhuman and gave Alexis and Kitten chills.

"Rancid? What kind of little bitch calls himself Johnny Rancid?" Agni questioned before shaking his head. The Celt swore the Norseman was smirking behind his mask while slipping between Agni and Kitten. "Lucky for you, I need you both intact, mostly."

"Lucky for us we can't see your ugly face!" shot back Kitten and immediately Agni stopped laughing and looked straight down at her.

"You have a very stupid friend here, Alexis Quart," he stated and Kitten narrowed her eyes but still fidgeted underneath Agni's intimidating glare before the man snatched her up by the arm, hauling her up a foot off the ground. "I think you only really need one arm anyway," Agni said before putting his other hand on Kitten's shoulder, ready to tear her arm off.

"Please don't hurt her!" Alexis blurted and the large man glanced at her behind the red lenses.

Eli already had his leg chambered while positioned to strike, pausing only because he wasn't sure if the man would be actually stunned by a strike without a blast of electricity._ 'For once Kitten, please keep your mouth shut!'_ he mentally urged while Alexis gulped.

"And why should I listen to you? You're just a little brain bitch, you can't fight me and your little machines are nothing to me." Eli narrowed his eyes as he glanced at Alexis to see her flinch as if struck hard._ 'No one insults my friends,'_ he thought angrily, clenching his fists tight enough to make the material bunch._ 'Especially any woman.'_

"I-"

"-Shut up. I don't like little smart-ass brats like you with your technology, when you've never even done a day's worth of hard labor," Agni scoffed, releasing Kitten who dropped to the floor and landed painfully, wincing as the robots pulled her back to her feet and restrained her. "Just hearing you speak annoys me so keep that stupid little mouth shut or I'll shut it for you."

"Leave her alone, you son of a bitch," hissed Kitten, clenching her fists angrily while Alexis quickly looked at her in surprise at the fellow blonde's defense of her. "So what if you're big and strong? Give her a few days and I know she'd find a way to fuck you up," she snapped.

Agni suddenly chortled and threw his head back for a moment in laughter. "This little bitch couldn't even reach my-" The rest of his sentence was cut off as Eli took his chance and rendered himself corporeal.

The second he was once more tangible, Eli struck with more strength than he normally used and his foot connected right with Agni's chest. He actually flew back from the hit as if Mammoth had sucker-punched him, crushing two robots and a workbench in the process before stopping. Both Alexis and Kitten gawked in surprise as the robots all stopped what they were doing and turned to face Eli.

"Damn you are the biggest asshole I've ever met," Eli snapped, bringing his foot down while Agni slowly rose up and groaned. "Ms. Walker, do I have your permission to tear all of these bleedin' fucknuts apart?" he growled out, already sizing up every machine he could see.

"Wisp!" Alexis blurted, eyes shining with tears of relief.

"Now you show up-" Kitten started to complain before the shorter blonde snapped.

"Kitten!" the spoiled blonde quickly snapped the thought out of her mind as Agni rose up to his feet.

The large man actually seemed to be patting his chest and Eli inwardly braced himself for a possible counter-attack to come. "Do it!" Kitten ordered furiously.

"Midas to base, my objective has arrived at the distraction," Agni murmured while the robots quickly launched themselves at Eli. "But I am not at the warehouse," he grumbled.

_"Because of your own mistake, proceed according to plan and do not tarry. He will come to you,"_ Rose sharply answered, unable to see the Norseman's scowl before it shifted into a dark grin of excitement.

The first robot had claws extended out of it's hands only for Eli's armored fist to smash it into the ground. With his guise of Wisp now on, the Celt had no reason for restraints as he caught sight of another and swiftly tore the head off with a roundhouse kick. A sharp punch came at him from the side, striking his jaw only to move with the blow and whipped around to counter with a vicious elbow blow. The cross that followed actually broke what passed for a jaw, causing the machine to stumble as Eli moved onto the next set.

At the same time, Kitten and Alexis found themselves being carried off. Kitten tried to actually kick free but the robots were unfazed by her attempts while Alexis inwardly thought about Agni's words. _'This is the second time I've been a burden,'_ she thought as a pair of metal handcuffs were put on her arms before being pushed into the back of the van.

Her eyes flashed as she clenched both fists and quickly glanced at the metal cartons nearby containing her little machines. _'I am not a burden!'_ she thought and quickly sucked in a deep breath of air.

"Wisp! My baby girl and the NRT!" she quickly gave Eve's case a sharp kick right out of the hands of the robot before her.

The little case landed sharply and opened with Eve flying out of it only to surprisingly land on a case a robot was holding. She let out a sharp beep and a whistle before starting to rapidly hop from shoulder to shoulder, expertly avoiding being caught again._ 'Go baby girl, go!'_ Alexis urged, silently unaware of a small resolve flickering in her mind.

Eli inwardly caught the brief shout before his attention went straight to the robot charging him. Only it pulled a pair of half blades out which extended to form twin katana much to the teen's surprise.

With only reflexes and speed aiding him, Eli swiftly back-pedaled and wove around the swift strikes. Each one came at him with remarkable speed and precision and only a quick kick off the ground allowed the Celt to only get a cut on his hood which fell back. Though a few strands of cut hair also fell as he quickly grimaced when the swordsman of a robot bore down on him with arms cross for an X shaped attack.

He took a second to snatch up a chair and hurl it forward and bolted after it. The robot cut the chair apart only to see Eli's fist before the cameras were destroyed and it's head turned into scrap metal.

"I hear ya'!" he quickly went incorporeal in time to avoid a Bo-Staff that was aimed for the top of his head.

"Get those damn bitches in the van!" Agni ordered, running surprisingly fast for a man his size. "Keep Wisp busy!" he added despite the fact the teen was not visible or tangible.

The robots quickly began pulling back, some actually depositing their loads into the van before taking off while others piled into the van and one took the driver's seat. _'Damn it, I can't let them get away!'_ he swore before seeing one of the robots snatch up Eve.

Eli quickly shifted back into the physical world, right in front of the robot who paused in surprise. The teen swiftly punched right through the machine's head before ripping his arm back and Eve promptly hopped right into his hood and clung tight.

"Eve, you know what to do so help Wisp-" A hand flew over her mouth, cutting Alexis off as the doors to the van closed though Eli could still hear Kitten as she kicked at one of the robots.

"I'll kick your balls in!" Kitten screamed before a pair of strong mechanical hands latched onto Eli's shoulders.

"Floor it, you damn piece of scrap-metal!" Agni roared and the van's tires promptly began to screech before it peeled right out of the back-street.

"Oh the hell you do!" The teen felt four more pairs of hands latch onto his limbs, each grip as strong as steel to restrain him. "Bad move," he murmured and tugged on the spark within his mind.

The remaining robots merely tightened their grip before dark sparks flickering on Eli's arms caught their attention. None of them had a chance to react as the black electricity surged through their bodies, overpowering their circuits and systems. Just like with Mad Mod machines the dark electricity reacted violently, ripping the machines apart.

Eli quickly glanced at his hood to see Eve unharmed and instead began pulling it over herself to act as a shield. "Don't let go ya' little metal wain, I'm droppin' these arse-faced bastards," he stated as the remaining twelve robots eyed him suspiciously with weapons in hand.

The teen merely glared as four more dropped from the roof to land behind him and the twelve in the building charged. Eli swiftly drew his black electricity out, covering elbows, fists, feet, even his kneecaps in the dark energy. The first two robots charged with Bo-Staff only for Eli to catch the weapons and the electricity promptly jumped through the metal to fry their circuits aggressively.

He quickly tore the Bo-Staffs away as four went at him with katana in hand. Yet Eli didn't back off so easily as the dark electricity surged through the Bo-Staffs, and the machines quickly stopped short of their range. _'Longer than a shillelagh,'_ he thought before slamming them straight into the chests of two robots like taser prods as Eli channeled a surge through both hands.

The effect was instant as the electricity jumped through the conductor and began shocking the machines, causing them to smoke from the electrocution. Two of the swordsman robots severed the rods, leaving them shortened down to clubs of sorts but not in time to save their comrades. Nor were they spared from the shock as they jerked back, lightly twitching it seemed from the shock.

"Thank ya' for the help," Eli stated as he twirled the now shortened clubs once before grasping them firmly and directed electricity through them.

The four swordsman robots struck at him but Eli moved in swiftly by smacking the flat of their blades to send quick shocks into them. Two jerked back while the other two moved forward and Eli quickly pushed forward and struck their wrists. A quick focused spark was sent through each 'club', blowing the hands off before Eli continued.

He viciously struck the joints of the robot to his left as he heard a sharp whistle and swiftly focused one large spark into his hands and thus the clubs. With a quick strike, Eli blasted the machine's head to pieces before launching the other with an explosive spark of a back kick to the other, destroying it in the process. The remaining six charged yet Eli was already ahead of them as he smashed his left elbow across the face of one before striking another with his right club.

Each blow was enhanced by the black electricity Eli kept up and side-stepped a sharp stabbed and ducked underneath a slash. He twirled the rods once before driving them into the side of the robot, knocking it down and out from the sharp shock strikes. The Celt had to whip himself up and jump back within seconds to avoid the last katana armed robot that cut some of his hair off. The teen frowned and merely drove the rod into it's chest angrily before throwing the other club with all of his strength into the head of a second robot.

Both shook as if they were human and being electrocuted before dropping down, circuits destroyed and fried beyond repair and melted in the process. Eli silently glared at them before turning his gaze on the last three robots and growled.

"Ya' in my way," he warned, drawing all of the electricity that was already present on his body into his hands. The sheer volume was enough that it actually created a dark aura around the electricity which sparked with as much anger as Eli felt.

The three machines didn't even take a second to flinch and instead launched themselves at Eli. He merely scowled and drove his fist straight into the chest like a depleted promethium hammer. Like a static spark, the electricity jumped into the giant conductor of a robot, causing it to explode and take the second with it. The third tried to feint only for Eli to grab it's wrist firmly, crushing the metal limb underneath his grip.

"Fuck off!" Eli barked as his fist plowed straight through the robot's chest. The robot had only a second to process a feeling akin to fear before the black electricity ripped through it's body, pulling it apart in pieces right off the Celt's arm. "That bastard still got away..." he murmured before Eve's sharp whistle caught his attention.

The little robot whistled again before Eli felt her climb right up his back and onto his shoulder. He turned and looked to the little machine as she swiftly began chattering away oddly to him. _'What did she mean about Eve and the NRT?'_ he wondered before pushing off the ground lightly, taking flight into the air.

"Alexis said you know what to do," he said and Eve promptly gave a full nod of her body. "All right, and you can't really tell me how besides that little device that somehow you're related to." Eli watched as she nodded once more and tilted his head.

"Can you do what you did before then? Point me to them?" Immediately Eve happily chirped instead of whistled as her little arms opened up to reveal small little needles.

Eli blinked for a moment and stopped in mid-air, hovering in place as Eve began to softly hum oddly. She quietly continued to hum for a few seconds while Eli nervously watched before chirping and promptly scampered down to his wrist and latched onto it. The machine actually locked her little feet together in a way before pointing with her needles in a single direction.

The teen glanced at the robot before looking off in the direction and raised an eyebrow. 'Okay, Alexis needs to give this little mechanical wain a voice or something,' he thought, before deciding to voice his question.

"Pointing like you did before I take it." Eve gave a single sharp beep as a response. "All right then, works for me!" Eli stated before pushing off the air as if a wall was behind him, shooting off like a missile with one target in mind.

_'Hope fhiagh and her team know what's goin' on over here,'_ he idly thought idly. _'She should be on my tail, I hope,'_

*** * * TT * * ***

**San Francisco City Prison**

Raven swiftly swiped her hand across the air, creating a small trail of solid dark energy just in time to block a sharp kick from Rinku. In return, Raven lashed out with a solid punch that Rinku merely deflected with the very leg that she used to strike before whipping her other leg up in a whirlwind of a kick.

The sorceress swiftly shot back and allowed Robin to intercept Rinku who merely forced the Boy Wonder on the defensive with a savage but fluid assault. Despite the battle, Raven did not overlook the chance she held to study her opponent. Namely, the girl's fingers as they were arched and curved like claws but not arched so she could dig her nails into someone.

_'She's well trained; every movement is graceful and with purpose and meaning, not wasting a single ounce of strength and energy,'_ she summarized, drawing on the training and education given to her by Azar. Unlike the rest of the monks of her home, Azar was one of the few trained as a warrior and she herself could fight unarmed. And as her student, Raven had learned as much as possible and noted to find some way to train herself.

Especially as Rinku ducked under his kick and sharply grabbed the leg above her and hurled him right over into Cyborg, knocking the two over in the process. It was no move to be performed by anyone of greater size and Raven could tell that the girl was using only half of her skill at the most. 'She's a master; a cocky confident master. Even though I can feel a temper within her, it's held back by discipline from the style she employs,' she concluded as Rinku turned to see Beast Boy dealing with robots yet merely ignored him.

"For someone trained by the Dark Knight," Rinku stated while turning to Raven.

She was already slipping into the defensive stance she had developed with Robin's aide. Dark energy covering her hands and legs spread apart with both hands up with palms facing forward. "He's a bit of a pussy."

"Wonderful adjective there," Raven quipped as the girl smirked beneath her mask and merely slipped into her own stance. "You're well trained," she noted and Rinku actually laughed.

"Good eyes, Goth. Been awhile since I've had a compliment, even from an adept like you." The sorceress merely gazed at Rinku though both girls knew she was right. Her area of expertise was her powers and ranged combat, not really hand to hand. "Shame you aren't a bit more trained, you might be an interesting opponent."

"Not that it could matter much, as you are holding back." The remark actually got Rinku to relax as she began to sway slowly, the start of her style.

_'Must be a reader or she knows a master. To think I'd find one on a job,'_ she thought with a chuckle before giving a toothy grin though it was hidden by her mask. "Now that's what I like to hear. Someone that recognizes real skill," she stated and the distortion device actually let her delight show as Raven narrowed her eyes. "And better than that..." she trailed off and suddenly struck.

Raven was already in motion when she sensed the spike of joy as Rinku charged. The sorceress swiftly swiped one hand through the air and then the other, creating two defensive lines. She didn't stop there and actually started to move her hands in a slow purposeful circular motion in the air as Rinku blew the two barriers apart with a quick flick of her wrist. Yet it did not faze Raven much as she began to concentrate on her motion, slipping back with graceful levitation while drawing dark energy to her hand.

The martial artist was already dashing through the smoke when Raven suddenly drew her hand in a perfect circle in the air. "Azar!" she called out, thrusting her hand forward as if to strike through the invisible circle.

A solid black blast of energy shot out of the invisible circle and connected straight with Rinku's face, knocking her back. Yet the girl unsurprisingly kept herself upright so she was sent skidding back instead of flying back. Raven quickly pulled up her guard in preparation for a counter, inwardly noting the effect of the simple technique.

It was nothing extravagant or flashy like Robin's martial arts but a mere combination of self-defense with her own powers. She was not ill-suited to hand to hand combat per say, merely all she learned had been from Robin and the others. And the simple form of self-defense was meant to create space to use her full powers while using what she could to compensate for the power and speed of martial arts. The system worked as evident by the hit though Raven knew that it was only because it was unexpected.

There was still the simple matter of Rinku following the same method of thinking; to combine her powers with hand to hand. _'Only she has taken it a step further towards actual martial arts, and her powers are linked to expressing emotion,'_ she observed, already ready to defend herself again while Robin shot her a look of approval. _'Which means she still has the advantage of martial arts over self-defense, and far more experience and skill,'_ Raven truthfully admitted as she peered into Rinku's emotions and promptly grimaced.

_'Great, she's excited and happy now,_' Raven thought while Rinku suddenly brought her head forward and pulled down her mask, much to everyone's surprise.

The girl was beautiful in a feral manner given her visible fang and Beast Boy actually stared as the girl revealed a busted lip. Yet instead of panicking or throwing a fit, Rinku simply licked her lips as well as the bruise forming from the power of the blow. She brought her tongue in for a moment before her lips split across her face in a vicious wild grin.

"Now **that** was a real hit," she stated and brought her mask up slowly, covering her tooth grin. "Come on kage-onna, give me a good fight,"

"Or I can give you another busted lip," Raven replied with pure wit yet Rinku just laughed.

"Oh I hope you do kage-onna. I really hope you do," Rinku urged with a smile and Cyborg gulped nervously.

"Does anyone else feel like things just got a lot worse?" he asked and before Robin or Beast Boy could reply, a loud and disturbingly familiar alarm went off. "I just had to say it, didn't I?" he rhetorically groaned.

Robin narrowed his eyes and slowly turned his head to see a few familiar faces coming into view from within the prison of the guards. "This is beyond bad," he stated as he waved the guards down. "Who is being released?" he questioned and Starfire quickly took care of a small cluster of robots with a flurry of star-bolts.

"All of your level of criminals. Johnny Rancid, Fang, Punk Rocket, Overload, Private HIVE, and a few more." Beast Boy turned pale and gulped nervously.

"Dudes, we're going to need some back-up," he stated, taking out his communicator.

A single shot rang out, blowing a hole clean through the device and narrowly missed blowing a hole in Beast Boy's hand. Even more terrifying for the changeling was just how close it was to his head and Starfire immediately reacted to the threat to her friend.

"This person who is sniping has gone too far!" she swore and took off with remarkable speed.

"Starfire!" Robin called out as he heard another shot rang out, yet the Tamaranean didn't drop out of the sky much to his surprise.

"Did... did she get hit?" one of the guards asked nervously while Rinku actually stopped herself from attacking and scowled.

"Cinder to Aero, your shot is shit," she murmured and Raven narrowed her eyes, slowly inching forward. "Didn't know the orange bitch was bullet-proof," she stated aloud.

"Must be a lot of righteous fury in her..." Cyborg stated before turning to the rest of the team as another shot rang out only it sounded like it bounced off of Starfire who merely let out an enraged battle cry. "Or she's really pissed."

"We can figure it out later. Raven! Can you handle her?" Robin called out as Rinku actually moved one hand over to him and promptly flipped him the bird.

And with a simple twist of her twist and a snap, the ground exploded before Raven who quickly brought up a shield. Fragments of cement bounced off of it and at the same time, flames actually licked the surface as Rinku walked through the flames without batting an eye. _'She's immune to the flames... there's more to her than she's revealed so far,'_ Raven realized and narrowed her eyes.

"The orange bitch might know where Aero is, but that doesn't mean she's going to beat her," Rinku stated as she narrowed her eyes.

The girl suddenly glanced at Robin and he along with Cyborg, Beast Boy, and the guards were knocked off their feet into the prison by the air exploding in front of them violently, tearing up the pavement in the process. _'There! A spike of anger, she's using it to amplify the power of the explosions or perhaps that's her trigger for them,'_ she theorized before drawing on her strength to pull forth more dark energy to surround her hands and feet.

"You may be holding back on us, but you have no idea what we can do either," Raven in turn warned as she drew on the advice and training with Robin.

She slowly lifted her arms up, pulling her right forward with palm slightly curved in a bowl and pointing sharply to the left. Likewise the left palm was pulled back for her guard with one leg arched back but the other arched forward to keep her balanced.

It was a particular form of self-defense that Robin had been trained in only enough to keep him aware of various styles and forms. Raven however did not have Robin's heavy training despite keeping herself quite fit and healthy in mind, body, and spirit. The stance was purely defense and was meant to allow her to guard quickly and defend, but not attack.

Yet despite the fact that both girls knew Raven was no martial artist, Rinku still had an aura of excitement and energy. As if somehow, she had found the sorceress to be a far better opponent than Robin._ 'The way we supplement our styles is the only ground we have. And I need to keep it that way,'_ she inwardly grimaced.

_'A self-defense style but augmented with her powers. This might just get interesting,'_ Rinku thought with an amused smirk on her lips. And inwardly the martial artist hoped that her captain would take his time with his mission if only to see if Raven was going to meet her expectations or not.

*** * * TT * * ***

**San Francisco Dormant Volcano**

Four cameras were positioned at the cave entrance; two on the ground and the other two at the ceiling of the entrance. Stationed in the ideal locations to pick up anyone that approached them from each angle to ensure minimal blind-spots.

Yet, as the cameras continued their work, the dark form of Dietrich silently removed four small discs barely the size of a dime. He flipped one around with his fingers before secretly slipping one onto the bottom of the camera without slipping into the line of vision. The young man repeated the process before turning his hand over to reveal a single small palm-sized device and quickly turned on the screen.

Immediately the little discs flashed red and four small video screens appeared on the device._ 'Link established,'_ he thought before rewinding the video feed to double-check if he had been seen.

The cameras revealed no sign of him and he quickly zoomed in onto each video link to ensure there was no sign. Once satisfied, Dietrich began quietly tapping out a command on the device, and finished within seconds before pressing a single green key and the discs began flashing the corresponding color. The young man slipped the device back into the holster before pressing a finger up to his helmet.

"Ghost to base, looping discs have been attached to the surveillance cameras the Titans have set up. Proceeding to enter the volcano, requesting coordinates for destination," he murmured in a stern disciplined voice. Exactly like a soldier reporting to a superior.

_"I am receiving the transmission perfectly sir. Sending coordinates now,"_ Wintergreen replied and Dietrich took a moment to listen before giving a solid nod.

"Understood, status report of Cinder, Aero, and Midas," he requested while walking into the cave and reached to his shoulders and turned two dials. Immediately strong but compact bulbs lit up, powered by a single power-cell on the back of his belt that fueled the strong lights.

_"Midas did not follow the time-frame madam set for him, the Titans were confirmed to receive an alert of his intrusion into WayneTechnology. Madam has adjusted the plan as Cinder and Aero are engaging the Titans,"_ Dietrich frowned beneath his mask and tapped a single side button, causing his mouth guard to open up but not the lenses. _"The commandos will release any empowered villain that will be able to assist indirectly by stalling the male Titans and the guards. Cinder is engaging Raven and Aero is presumed to be engaging Starfire."_

The young German frowned at the new but said nothing immediately and instead focused on making his way through the caves. "I will pick up my speed and work faster than to compensate for Midas. Ms. Ravager?" he questioned, and he heard a light chuckle over the line.

_"I heard you, Shadow, and I am pleased that you are already ahead of schedule. And as predicted, Wisp has arrived and Eli has disappeared,"_ she replied and promptly the young man merely pursed his lips.

"It's likely they are one and the same. What of Killer Moth, the girl's father?" The young man scanned the tunnels as he walked, silently fishing out a simple black device as well as a single small disc only flatter and larger than the first and was more flexible

_"He does not know of her kidnapping and I intend to keep it that way. Thankfully, Midas has managed not to strike her, though it will not end well for him if he does,"_ Rose's scowl could be made out over the radio as Dietrich curled his lips in a mixture of anger and disgust._ "He is strong perhaps but his rank reflects his lack of intelligence and tact."_

"A problem that the Company will solve, ex-Gotham does not mean he is any less dangerous," he replied, approaching a large cavern that was devoid mostly of light and he tapped a hidden button on the side of his temples. The lens immediately lit up red as a thermal imaging formed. "I have located one heat signature trapped within stone, dim but still alive."

_"I am pleased that we are on the same page Shadow. And I hope they have a proper solution,"_ she stated before Dietrich caught a subtle intake of air. _"How large is the heat signature?"_ Dietrich noticed the small tone of urgency and scanned the statue.

"Not very large, roughly five feet and four inches exactly. The statue is female," he informed and heard a low hiss of air.

_"Tara Markov, otherwise known as Terra by the world at large. Princess of Markovia, younger sister of the crown prince of Markovia, Brion Markov,"_ Rose stated and Dietrich merely glanced at the statue before slipped the disc right over the statue's heart. _"And there is no sign of my mentor I presume."_

Dietrich frowned and glanced around for a moment before narrowing his eyes. "None. However, I see a single mask near the bottom..." he paused as there was silence on the other line. "The Company did not lie; we will be attentive, and reactive to any news of the Terminator's existence," the young man added.

_"Begin the scan and retrieve what you can. If my father is dead, then I have all the more reason to see if Terra was killed or not,"_ he merely tapped a few keys on the device and set it down on the ground, before sliding down towards the mask.

*** * * TT * * ***

**Undisclosed Underground Bunker**

Rose silently gripped her fists tightly while biting down on her lip hard enough that her teeth broke through the skin and drew blood. The sharp jet of pain caught her attention dimly and the girl merely began to push it down, saving it for later when it would be far more useful. Beside her, Wintergreen was at the computer and bringing up the video files while ensuring that all the data was being encrypted and stored within separate hard-drives.

"It seems they did defeat my father after all," she thought aloud, ignoring the blood on her lip and merely wiped it off. _'And as your daughter, I will prove that I am the true legacy you have failed to realize,'_ Rose swore firmly, lifting up her clenched fist and squeezing it sharply.

Her eyes swiftly darted to the video screens and she honed right in on Eli rocketing through the air. Not quite at shocking speeds but the boy's agility intrigued her as she slipped both arms behind her back.

"Let us see what you can truly do, and what you can handle," the girl ominously stated with a thin line of an expression on her face, both eyes narrowed as she focused on the screen.

* * *

Cue tension music please, and get ready for some action!

Reviews are deeply appreciated, flames will be analyzed and stored for winter use. Either way, please kindly submit a review. Thank you.

**Konpeki Rei**


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